Parent says recording shows teacher bullying 4th grade students

VILLA RICA, Ga. — A school district is investigating parents' claim their child's class is being bullied by his fourth grade teacher.

Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri talked to the parents of the Villa Rica Elementary School student, who also showed Viteri evidence they gave administrators.

The parents said when their son complained about how his fourth-grade teacher was talking to the class they decided to send him with a digital recording device in his bag to hear for themselves.

Now the district is investigating the teacher's conduct based on what they heard on that tape.

"He said she tells the kids things like shut up, some of them are stupid, they're lazy," Issac Robinson told Viteri were some of the things his 9-year-old son told him his fourth-grade teacher has said to students during class.

Not sure what to think, Robinson decided to send a recording device in his son's bag in late September.

"The very first day we obtained information like calling the kids ugly butts, 'Get your ugly butt over here,'" Robinson said.

"Write neatly or you are going down like the Titanic, I'm not even playing with your little ugly butts," the teacher could be heard saying on the recording. "You get in that line or I'm going to skin you like a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken."

"I love you, but sometimes I just want to smack your face," the teacher could be heard saying in another part of the recording.

"She told another child to get out of her face before she machete-chopped him. To me those are threats," Robinson told Viteri.

Robinson said he brought his concerns to a meeting with the teacher and school administrators.

"The teacher automatically, right away, denied it. Said, 'Oh no, we don't use words like that,'" Robinson said.

That's when Robinson played a portion of the recording in which the teacher tells a student to shut up.

"Please shut up. I mean that sweetly, I really do," the teacher could be heard saying on the recording.

A district assistant superintendent told Viteri they are conducting an internal investigation but as they told the Robinson family in a letter, any action taken will be a private personnel manner.

"It's not appropriate for the classroom," Robinson said.

District officials said they have responded to the complaint in a timely manner and were only allowed to listen to a portion of the recording. They told Viteri the investigation into what happened is still ongoing.

WSBTV