Teacher charged with forcibly cutting off boy’s hair in class pleads not guilty
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VISALIA, Calif. – Margaret Gieszinger sat in the back of a pretrial courtroom on Friday. Her hands were cuffed and her head was down.
Charges were filed against the Visalia science teacher who was seen on a video appearing to forcibly cut off at least one student's hair while belting out the national anthem in her classroom.
On Friday, the Tulare County District Attorney's Office filed a six-count complaint against Gieszinger, 52, of Exeter.
Gieszinger was charged with one count of false imprisonment, two counts of cruelty to a child, two counts of battery, and one count of assault. Each count is a misdemeanor.
If convicted on all six counts, Gieszinger faces up to three years and six months in jail.
Gieszinger pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on her own recognizance by Tulare County Judge Anthony Fultz.
More: Teacher arrested after video shows her cutting off boy's hair while singing anthem
However, there are restrictions tied to her freedom.
Gieszinger can't go near University Preparatory High School and she can't be near firearms.
"My husband has some guns so I don't know if he can get rid of them so fast," she told the judge. "I haven't talked to him."
Fultz advised her to stay with friends or family until the guns are removed from the home. A criminal protective order was also put in place to protect the three victims listed in the complaint.
Gieszinger can't be within 50 feet of the school or victims.
Gieszinger’s legal woes began Wednesday.
College of the Sequoias police responded to a University Preparatory High School classroom after reports of child endangerment involving a teacher and a "pair of scissors," Police Chief Kevin Mizner said.
Three videos were posted to social media showing a student sitting in a chair at the front of the classroom as the teacher cuts off portions of the student's hair. She then tosses the chunks of hair behind her.
As the student attempts to get up and walk back to his desk, Gieszinger says, "You're not done," and motions him to sit back down.
She then chops his hair again. He again stands up and moves away from her.
Shortly after, in the video, the teacher calls out other students and then walks over to a female student. The teacher appears to grab a piece of the student's hair and attempts to snip it.
Gieszinger was later arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment.
According to Commission on Teacher Credentialing, Gieszinger's credential was suspended in 2007 and 2016. It's unclear why her credentials were suspended. The 2016 suspension lasted 14 days. The 2007 suspension lasted seven.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Teacher charged with forcibly cutting off boy’s hair in class pleads not guilty
