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E-mail StoryStudent's mouth allegedly taped
BHS science teacher put on leave while district investigates
| Monday, Dec 11 2006 9:50 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Dec 11 2006 9:54 PM
A Bakersfield High School science teacher has been placed on leave after allegedly duct-taping a student's fingers and mouth shut during class.
Teacher Carol Humphrey was placed on paid administrative leave Dec. 5 -- the same day of the alleged incident, said district spokesman John Teves.
Humphrey declined to comment Monday.
Teves said a student in Humphrey's freshman science class was making a sound during class by thumping his fingers against his air-filled cheeks. He said the district has an "indication" that Humphrey then taped the student's mouth shut and placed tape over a few of his fingers.
"I think the teacher may have thought this was a humorous way to address it," Teves said. "It was not humorous. Putting hands on a student is not acceptable."
Teves said Humphrey has been with the Kern High School District since 1971 and has had no previous disciplinary problems. The district is investigating the incident, Teves said.
Several parents said the situation shocked them.
"I'm all for discipline, but I definitely think she went too far," said Crystal Morrison, who has a 16-year-old stepchild at BHS. "It's not her place."
Students said the story has been all over campus for days. Many heard about it through word of mouth. Others said they saw pictures of the duct-taped student that another student took with a cell phone.
"Everybody knows about it. It's like the talk of the school," said sophomore Lily Pixler. "I didn't know she would do something like that."
"She could have just sent him down to the dean," said junior Vanni Banducci.
Other students said the incident was likely just bad judgment.
"She probably just wasn't thinking about it," said sophomore Sara Bates.
Freshman Lynda Tesillo is also giving Humphrey the benefit of the doubt.
"I think she really didn't mean to do it," Tesillo said. "She probably meant it to be funny and then it wasn't so funny."
Californian archives show Humphrey has been a science bowl team coach and in 2004 was voted by students to be the female teacher "Most like a parent," according to the 2004 BHS yearbook.