Wisconsin teacher placed on leave after TikTok video shows her calling unmasked student 'dummy' and a 'jerk'
A Wisconsin teacher has been placed on leave following an argument with a student where she can be heard calling him a "dummy" and a "jerk."
In a video clip later posted on TikTok, the student is seen with his mask below his chin as the teacher calls him "one of the most disrespectful" students she has met and later tells him she doesn't want to "get sick and die."
The student is heard on the video saying he was vaccinated.
"There's other people you can infect just because you're vaccinated," the teacher is heard saying. "You should hear about how everybody talks about you. You’re a jerk."
The Poynette School District released a statement confirming the incident occurred and that the unidentified teacher was placed on administrative leave.
"The School District of Poynette is aware of an incident that occurred today, May 11th, involving a teacher and student at the Poynette High School," the statement, signed by District Administrator Matthew Shappell read. "The District is initiating an investigation and the teacher involved has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The District contacted the parents and we are taking steps to provide the appropriate support for the student involved."
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A second video was posted on TikTok showing more of the back-and-forth between teh teacher and student.
On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced fully vaccinated people can take their mask off both indoors and outdoors, with exceptions including places like buses, planes, hospitals and prisons.
In Poynette, Wisconsin, masks are still required in school buildings. The mask requirement and May 11's incident created a tense situation during the Poynette School Board meeting on May 17.
Parents raised concerns over the teacher's actions and "mask shaming" while others supported the board's stance, according to the Lodi Enterprise & Poynette Express. Shappell said the mask mandate would remain at least until the end of the school year.
“The CDC suggests that masks remain through the remainder of the year, though, plus summer,” Shappell said during the meeting. “Masks could be optional for the 2021-22 year.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teacher on leave for calling unmasked student dummy, jerk in Wisconsin
