South Bay Teacher Accused of Coughing On Baby Axed By District
SAN JOSE, CA — A South Bay teacher accused of of coughing on a baby at a San Jose frozen yogurt shop last month has been terminated, the Oak Grove School District confirmed in a news release over the weekend.
A dispute over social distancing preceded the June 12 incident captured on surveillance video in which a woman is seen coughing on a baby in a stroller, according to the San Jose Police Department, which released surveillance video of the incident.
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The incident occurred at a Yogurtland on 5638 Cottle Road around 5:25 p.m. according to police.
“As many know, there have been allegations that a District employee was involved in a videotaped incident in which the person appeared to have intentionally coughed on a baby at a local Yogurtland,” the district’s statement said.
“We want to inform our community that the District employee who was alleged to have engaged in this conduct is no longer an employee of our District. The Oak Grove School District’s highest priority is the safety of our students and the well-being of all of the children in the community we serve.
“We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any child’s safety. As we welcome our students back for learning this summer and in the fall in these unprecedented times, the District’s commitment to creating and maintaining a safe environment for our students is unwavering.”
Police are investigating the case but had not confirmed that the woman shown in the video is the teacher who was terminated as of Monday afternoon, according to a San Jose Mercury News report.
The suspect is seen in the video standing in line in front of another woman with her 1-year-old boy in a stroller before approaching the stroller, pulling down her mask and coughing toward the baby two to three times.
The suspect is described as a white female in her 60s with a medium build.
The incident sparked particular concern because it occurred amid a global pandemic. The coronavirus is a respiratory illness known to be spread by airborne droplets.
The case has generated national media coverage, including a Washington Post report in which the mother said the incident left her baby "traumatized."
"She coughed on him super hard. It wasn't an accident," Mireya Mora told The Post. "A person with a heart that cares would not do that to a baby."
"He's been traumatized," Mora added.
Mora, who is of Hispanic descent, suspects racism played a role in the incident, according to the report.
She told The Post that an employee confirmed that she'd been adhering to social distancing rules after the suspect complained to a Yogurtland employee.
Mora, who was with her grandmother at the time of the incident, is seen on the surveillance video stopping in front of a pink line.
"I believe it's racism because the woman in front of me, she did not start harassing me and my family until I started speaking Spanish to my grandmother," Mora told The Post.
"She was super close to the people in front of her, they were also white, she did not tell them anything. She didn't have a problem with it."
Mora told The Post she hopes to see the suspect criminally prosecuted for what police described as "an assault."
"Her coughing is a deadly weapon because she doesn't know if she has coronavirus," Mora told The Post.
"She attacked a defenseless baby."
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This article originally appeared on the Los Gatos Patch
