Judith Clark, a teacher at Lee Middle School, is accused of having a student slap a classmate across the face. Courtesy: Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
BRADENTON, Fla. – A Manatee County middle school teacher was arrested after deputies said she told a student to slap a classmate who was talking.
‘Who wants to slap him?’
What we know:
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, on May 13, Judith Clark, 64, a teacher at Lee Middle School, repeatedly told a student to stop talking during class.
When the student did not quiet down, Clark reportedly asked the class who wanted to slap him.
Witnesses told deputies that when nobody volunteered and the student started talking again, Clark again asked who wanted to slap the student.
Deputies said when she got no response, she told two students to close the classroom window blinds and then directed another student to hit his classmate.
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Witnesses stated that the student obeyed and gently slapped the victim across the face with an open hand.
Teacher arrested
Dig deeper:
Detectives said that the 12-year-old who slapped the victim told them that he was scared to disobey the teacher’s instructions.
The child is not facing charges.
School administrators said they removed Clark from the classroom as soon as the investigation began and she no longer had contact with students.
Clark was arrested on Tuesday and charged with child abuse.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear how long Clark had been teaching at Lee Middle School before her arrest on Tuesday.
Officials have not released information regarding her bond status or when she will appear in court to face the child abuse charge.
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