Teacher Hits Student With Hockey Stick, Knocking Out Their Teeth
A Minnesota teacher was caught on camera striking a student with a hockey stick, as parents are outraged that no charges have been reported.
On March 28th a Minnesota gym teacher threw a hockey stick at a 2nd-grade boy’s face and knocked out a tooth. This occurred at Princeton Public Schools. The teacher in question was placed on unpaid leave and then retired on June 3rd. See the disturbing incident caught on footage below.
Kim Neubauer had worked as a physical education instructor for 27 years in the district. Whether or not she has acted out against students in the past is unknown, but video surveillance clearly displayed how a 2nd-grade boy walked up to drop his hockey stick into a pile that was being collected during class. Then, the Minnesota teacher immediately picked up the stick and threw it at the boy’s face. The boy automatically placed his hands on the injury and two other students froze in fear. The boy then grabbed the stick and put it back.
This incident has sparked outrage among parents who allege that they were not properly notified regarding the Minnesota teacher’s behavior. What’s more, the Minnesota Department of Education released a letter to the parents in May claiming that the teacher’s reaction was unreasonable, but that the Princeton Police Department declined to investigate the situation. This was completely untrue. The Princeton Police Chief Todd Frederick revealed to Newsweek that his department was contacted by the school and told that an accidental injury had occurred. Based on further pressure to keep the case open an officer was assigned to fully investigate the events and video surveillance footage was reviewed. Upon examination, it was determined that the Minnesota teacher’s actions were intentional.
Some believe that the school district eagerly attempted to cover up the situation, noting that school officials publicly posted a retirement announcement on Facebook which congratulated Neubauer for her service to the district after trying to brush off the incident as an accident. The post was later deleted, but a child was injured by the deliberate actions of a teacher and instead of supporting the victim, the school seemingly attempted to quietly “retire” the gym teacher involved. The parents shared pictures of the student’s missing tooth with local news and his father noted that the Minnesota teacher seemed as if she was “intentionally trying to harm him.”
The boy’s mother spoke about how he is now afraid to go to school in the fall. Although he will be attending a new facility he is apprehensive about the teachers. There are many concerns regarding how the school addressed the Minnesota teacher, but many are surprised at how a child was so mistreated.
Why any district would work to protect a staff member instead of the students they serve is of serious importance in this case. Although the boy was not permanently injured, his experience will continue to change how he views the education system. Students and parents in the area are shocked and appalled at the mishandling of this spring incident. When a teacher can forcefully throw gym equipment at a child and knock out their tooth without quick action, it is the community that truly suffers. So far no charges have been reported against the Minnesota teacher, despite police having had the footage for weeks now.
