The teacher is on paid leave after reportedly using the taping punishment, which one parent said affected all 28 kids in the class.AURORA, Colo. — A Denver area second-grade teacher has been accused of taping her students' mouths shut when they wouldn't be quiet.
The incident happened Thursday at Fulton Academy in the suburb of Aurora. Police are investigating and the unidentified teacher is on paid administrative leave.
According to KUSA-TV, one parent said all 28 kids in the class may have been affected.
"My daughter's been in the house crying, begging me not to send her back to school. (She) said that she'll do good in home school and she promises. She doesn't want to go back to a public school," Tenisha Bynes said.
The girl said the punishment was painful.
"When she put it on, it was like, OK, and then, like, it started to hurt my mouth right here. It's also hard for me to breathe with the tape, too," she said. The girl's name is being withheld because of her age.
The teacher did not return a phone call seeking comment.
The school is under the jurisdiction of Aurora Public Schools with limited responsibility for making its own decisions.
The school district issued a statement saying it's taking the matter seriously and will conduct its own investigation.
"Due to privacy laws, we are unable to discuss these allegations specifically. When we receive allegations of this nature, we immediately contact the police, begin our own investigation and possibly place the staff member on administrative leave during the investigation. We do not condone any inappropriate adult conduct toward students, and we cooperate fully with the police," said spokeswoman Paula Hans in an email statement.