The Department of Children and Family Services is investigating a local teacher after a report that teacher locked several kids inside a bathroom at a local middle school.
One mother, who didn’t want to be identified, told Boston 25 News it happened just before school was dismissed Wednesday at Wareham Middle School.
But she didn’t know if the teacher responsible was still on the job Thursday.
“When you send your child to school, you think they are going to be safe,” the mother said in an interview. “You certainly don't think that they are going to be locked in the room at the hands of an adult who is supposed to be mature and professional.”
She says her son was in the boy’s bathroom with others Wednesday when the teacher across the hall came in with a warning.
“The teacher came in and told them to quiet down, that they were being disruptive to his class,” she explained.
The mother says her son admitted he and his friends were being loud and the teacher apparently snapped.
“The teacher said, ‘well watch this.’ He went and got keys to the bathroom from another staff person and then he proceeded to lock the bathroom door,” she said.
Her son sent her a text message, telling her he was trapped inside the bathroom.
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She said it was a scary situation made worse by her son’s struggle with anxiety issues.
“My son and another son were trying to pull the handle, because you have to pull to get out and it wouldn’t open,” she said. “When the teacher opened the door, he was laughing.”
The boy’s mother reported the incident to school officials and DCF, where officials confirmed to Boston 25 News they are now investigating.
But the mother says she is frustrated because she says administrators refuse to reveal if the teacher is being disciplined or is still in the classroom.
“I don’t know if his mental stability is healthy right now or not because that’s not okay … parents need to know,” she said.
The superintendent did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment about the incident and the teacher’s job status with the district.
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