Special education teacher duct-taped ‘agitated’ student’s mouth shut, PA district says
_fitted.png "The teacher said she was “joking” when she placed tape over the student’s mouth.")
A Pennsylvania seventh grade and special education teacher may lose her job after she put duct tape on the mouth of a student and displayed “reprehensible” conduct, the school board said.
According to a resolution of charges from the Coatesville Area School District, Audra Ritter put a piece of duct tape on a female student’s face on May 4 and wrote the words “I have nothing nice to say” on the tape.
Ritter, a teacher at North Brandywine Middle School, put the tape on the student’s mouth because she was “agitated and cursing,” the resolution said.
The teacher said she was “joking” when she placed the tape on the mouth of the student whom she said she had “a good relationship with,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. She said the student sat in her class for two more hours and didn’t appear to be upset.
According to the school board, the student felt “humiliated” and asked the principal if she could be excused from Ritter’s class for the rest of the day.
The resolution said Ritter then began to track the student down in other classes and questioned her in the middle of class.
“When (Ms. Ritter) realized that (her) conduct may get (her) in trouble, (Ms. Ritter) began threatening retaliation against the student,” the resolution of charges said.
According to the school board, Ritter discriminated against the student, who is Black, on the basis of race. Additionally, the charges deem her actions more “reprehensible” because the middle schooler has disabilities and a dedicated learning plan that Ritter’s conduct violated.
“Although (Ms. Ritter’s) conduct as alleged herein would be considered egregious regardless of the student involved, it is even more reprehensible due to the fact that this is a student with disabilities and (Ms. Ritter) knew that she was agitated this week before (Ms. Ritter) engaged in the conduct alleged herein,” the resolution said.
Ritter told The Inquirer that she tried to find the student to see why she missed her class and didn’t realize the duct tape had upset her.
“The tape was the wrong vehicle, absolutely,” Ritter told the news outlet. “Do I deserve a punishment for that? Absolutely. Do I deserve termination? No.”
The resolution for the statement of charges was approved in a May 24 school board meeting, with seven “yes” votes and two “no” votes.
Ritter has been suspended from teaching in the district, the Inquirer reported.
She is also the president of the district’s teacher’s association, according to CBS.
Ritter told The Inquirer she was using her knowledge as a special education teacher when she dealt with the “agitated” student.
“That’s how I know that humor works,” Ritter told the outlet. “If a student was showing they were agitated or upset by my action — it wouldn’t happen.”
The next step in the disciplinary process is a hearing if Ritter requests it, according to the resolution.
The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Coatesville is about 45 miles west of Philadelphia.
This story was originally published May 25, 2022 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Special education teacher duct-taped ‘agitated’ student’s mouth shut, PA district says."
