Bradenton substitute teacher removed from classroom after allegation she pushed student
A substitute teacher working at Robert E. Willis Elementary School has been removed from working in classrooms as officials investigate an allegation that she pushed a student.
An incident report from Tuesday listed the substitute teacher’s name, but the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has redacted it from public view even though the teacher is now the subject of criminal and child protection investigations.
“We have been notified that an allegation has been reported,” school district spokesman Mike Barber said Thursday.
Neither the sheriff’s office nor the Manatee County School District have yet released the teacher’s name or any additional details about the allegations or the investigations.
The school district has not yet begun its own internal investigation into the allegation, as it is the standard practice to first allow the criminal and child protection investigations to conclude.
The sheriff’s office, which investigates all child welfare cases in Manatee County for the Florida Department of Children and Families, is in charge of both investigations.
When the Bradenton Herald initially asked the school district if parents at the school had been informed of the incident and investigation, Barber said, “All district protocols have been followed.”
But an hour after an earlier version of this story was published online, the school’s principal, Kathy Price, sent a message to parents in response to the media attention the incident has garnered.
“We are currently working with Child Protective Services, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the School District on an allegation involving a substitute teacher that served at our school earlier this week. Because this allegation is under investigation, I cannot go into any details, but I can tell you that anyone involved in the circumstances regarding this allegation has already been contacted by authorities,” Price stated. “While this matter is under investigation, the substitute teacher is ineligible to work in any Manatee County school.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Bradenton substitute teacher removed from classroom after allegation she pushed student."
