Teacher threatens student

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tratyl2

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I have a son who is in the 7th grade. He has been telling me through out the year that his Math teacher a teacher of 29 years has been threatening to hurt him, and yells at him telling him he belongs in basic math anytime he gets a question wrong. The latter just was brought to my attention this past week.
At first I thought my son was exaggerating and just didn't like her. To my shame I found out through other parents who also have kids in that same class, that my son was telling the truth. She tells him practically everyday "I'm going to hurt you!" Not laughing in anyway. I brought the matter to the principal and he asked other students without anyone else present. He then called me and said the kids all said "yes she says it, but we think she is kidding." When some of the students told their parents she really dislikes my son, for some reason.
The principal has now told me he has spoken to the teacher, and she says it in humor. As for the belonging in basic math she claims she tells the whole class that if they fail. Last week she also stomped on my sons foot saying his foot was in the aisle when it was under his desk.
The principal is not taking any action against this teacher. Instead my son is being moved out of her class and is keeping the failing grade he is getting from her. With only a month left of school.
Do I have any case against her or the school, such as terrorist threat, or harassment? I'm appalled that she has no consequence for her abuse to my son, for the past year. My mistake was not listening to my son from the beginning, and giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Also asked that she publicly apologize to him in front of the class. The school is making it sound as if I'm sentencing her to jail. They will not interrupt the class for this. I also asked that the school pay for a summer tutor for my son because his teacher did not do her job in teaching him, also she did was humiliate, and threaten him. This also they will not agree to.
I will take any advice anyone has to offer. Please help!
 
As a parent myself, I say "drop it".

He then called me and said the kids all said "yes she says it, but we think she is kidding."
Perhaps your son is over sensitive.

Did you ever attend a parent/teacher conference to discuss the situation with the teacher?

Do I have any case against her or the school, such as terrorist threat, or harassment?
"Terrorist threat"?! Are you saying we have terrorist teaching our children? I would think it is the other way around and the children are the terrorist. :)

I agree that the teacher's use of words, "I'm going to hurt you", is in bad taste. Yet I would not consider it abusive and evidently neither did the principal.

Last week she also stomped on my sons foot saying his foot was in the aisle when it was under his desk.
Did she do this maliciously or did she do this in jest in order to get her point across to your child? Was your child physically harmed by this action?

I've never been a teacher, yet I must try to have empathy for their difficult job.

I also asked that the school pay for a summer tutor for my son because his teacher did not do her job in teaching him
Again, that is the point of parent/teacher conferences. Did you not monitor his schoolwork and grades? If you had noticed sooner that he was not learning properly, you should have taken appropriate action then.

Wanting to sue people when no real harm has been done is not a good choice.
 
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I am a teacher. Why don't you ask to sit on the class with your son? I have had many parents come to school with their 7th graders.

I do think the teacher's words, as you have described them, are in bad taste, but every teacher has their own style of doing things. This is a good lesson for your son that there are going to be people that they don't like and that don't like them all along their path in life.
 
I Am A Teacher, And Your Son Was Mistreated!!!

I don't know who these people are who are putting it all on you! Teachers have an obligation to nurture the kids in their classroom. Period. Statements like, "I'm going to hurt you." are inexcusable. Stomping on a child's foot, even if it is in the way, is inexcusable. I don't care if the kids is 6'5", 200 pounds! It is never okay to treat a student like this.

He may be failing the class BECAUSE of this treatment. It's nearly impossible for a student to learn in this type of atmosphere, particularly if they have anxiety over a subject to begin with.

I'm shocked that anyone on this site is telling you that YOU are responsible. It's perfectly natural for a parent to give a teacher the benefit of the doubt. It's why too many teachers get away with this type of behavior.

I feel that the school should not only pay for private tutoring with the tutor of your choice, but the teacher should be fired and your son should be compensated for the emotional abuse he has received.

How can any of you who are telling this parent that it's her fault call yourselves teachers? The greatest teachers in the world have empathy. They don't take out their personal issues on students. This is shameful!!!!!

What's worse is that the school is taking no action. I would sue them, quickly!
 
If the job is too difficult for this teacher, she should find another job. That would be like telling a mechanic that it's okay to take a sledge hammer to an engine because it's "a difficult job."
 
What's worse is that the school is taking no action. I would sue them, quickly!
Steve, on what legal basis would you sue them? It is not a matter of if the teacher's tactics are in bad taste or not. It is a matter of answering the poster's question of, "Do I have any case against her or the school, such as terrorist threat, or harassment?" Based upon the supplied information, the answer is no.

I shall stand by my advice and I also commend luvsspike for her suggestion. If this situation had happened to me, my first reaction would be to ask my son what he did to provoke the teacher's outburst. Both sides of the story need to be known in order to make a proper decision.
 
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