Wisconsin teen says teacher duct taped mask to his face, police launch investigation
BELOIT, Wis. - Wisconsin police have launched an investigation after a student at a local public school claimed a teacher taped his mask to his face, reportedly leaving an injury to the boy's neck.
"She got clearish yellowish tape, pulled up my mask up to my nose and wrapped the tape around my head five times. I'm thinking in my head. I'm like, this is crazy. Why is she doing this?" the student at McNeel Intermediate School in Beloit said, WKOW reported. The 8th grade student and his family have not revealed their identities to the press as they are still shaken up from the incident, WKOW reported.
The 13-year-old student said he sometimes has difficulty breathing while wearing a face mask and recently pulled it down during an 8th grade class. His teacher reportedly told him to put his mask back on when she noticed it was down.
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"I can't breathe. Give me a moment," the student recounted of what he told her.
The teacher then allegedly grabbed some tape and proceeded to tape the mask to the boy’s face.
The boy’s parent told the outlet that, "when he came home, he (had) a red mark on the back of his neck area. And it was a little bit red around his face."
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The parent contacted the Beloit Police Department after noticing the injury, and an officer reportedly said he had already spoken to teachers at the school.
"He got the story from teachers and all they said was that they put a little piece of tape on his mask and then onto his nose and he said they said that they didn't wrap it around his head," his parent said.
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The teenager said that the incident has left him shaken, and his parent added that the school nor the district have reached out to him over the matter.
"I don't want to go back to school, because I can't trust anyone anymore," the 8th grader said.
"I'm very, very upset. I'm gonna keep pursuing this until my son gets justice and my family gets justice," the boy’s parent told the outlet.
The school district sent Fox News a statement on the matter Thursday, which explained police investigated the matter and "determined there was no violation of local or state laws."
"I am here before you to address the allegations made yesterday to the media and on social media. The media reported these allegations by a parent as true, stating there was an incident involving a child in a classroom. We worked in collaboration with the City of Beloit Police Department; they have investigated these allegations and have determined there was no violation of local or state laws," Superintendent Dan Keyser said in the statement.
The statement added that school staff have since received "racist, hate speech" from people.
"Additionally, administration and staff at the school are receiving racist, hate speech from unknown individuals and organizations. We have zero tolerance for hate speech, violence, or threats made against our staff and District. We are cooperating with the City of Beloit Police Department in investigating these threats made against our staff and District."
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A protest over the matter is currently planned for Nov. 5 in front of the School District of Beloit.