Teacher who went to principal’s office and confessed she had ‘done something inappropriate’ is hit with lawsuit

A first-grade teacher in Oregon went to the school’s administrative office to report that she had done “something inappropriate” to a student during a tantrum.

Teresa Thomas was teaching at Edward Byrom Elementary School in Tualatin, about 10 miles southwest of Portland, when she allegedly repeatedly hit a child during class last year.

The mother of the seven-year-old boy pulled her son out of school after Thomas told administration she had to “turn herself in” because of her behavior.

Now the school district is being sued along with the teacher over negligence and injury claims.

Thomas later described her behavior to authorities, blaming the reaction on her “maternal instincts.” The Sacramento Bee reported.

The boy’s mother was the one who first alerted police and is now suing the Tigard-Tualatin School District and Thomas for damages related to negligence and battery, seeking a total of $1.4 million.

The lawsuit also notes that the school did not report the incident to appropriate authorities or to the Oregon Department of Human Services.

The child, who has ADHD and other “documented disabilities,” was preparing to give a presentation to his classmates about his “Student of the Month” award in December 2023, KKG8 reported.

When he stood up on a ‘wobble chair’ – a stool that doubles as a sensory device – Thomas allegedly attacked the child after ordering him to sit down.

The complaint, filed Oct. 1, says the child was first continuously hit on his “lower back” as he begged for help from his classmates and begged his teacher to stop, The Sacramento Bee added.

Then ‘curled up into a ball on the ground’.

The boy said his teacher hit him at least six times before he was able to escape out of her reach, where he then “shrunk under a desk.”

Thomas is also accused of demanding the child pick up items he threw on the ground during his escape attempt.

The seven-year-old boy, who was named student of the month last December, “has not been the same since the incident in his classroom,” the complaint said. “He has lost interest in school activities and has lost his childish zest for life,” The Sacramento Bee reported.

The lawsuit states that Thomas “knew immediately that what she was doing was wrong,” Oregon Live reported.

But before she finally decided to open the records, she placed her shocked first-graders in a “restorative circle” to talk about what had just happened.

She then asked another teacher to watch her classroom while she self-reported, but she allegedly “downplayed” her actions when she spoke further to school officials, claiming the spanking was more like a “love tap.”

Thomas later told authorities that her “maternal instincts” kicked in after she saw the child acting dangerously while standing on the stool.

After alerting authorities, the boy’s mother spoke to a Tualatin police officer, who took pictures of his “backside where Thomas hit him” and also spoke to her son.

Jennifer Massey, a public information officer for the Tualatin Police Department, confirmed to McClatchy News that the officer wrote a report about the attack and forwarded it to the state Department of Human Services.

Luke Dahlin, the attorney representing the child and his mother, told McClatchy News in an email that “this situation has been devastating for the boy and his family.”

“Parents teach their children which adults they can trust, and this was an outrageous breach of trust that has caused lasting damage to the young boy.”

Corporal punishment – ​​the use of physical force to inflict pain for the purpose of punishing or correcting a child’s behavior – was banned in Oregon public schools in 1989.

The state then approved a statue in 2013 that reaffirmed the ban.

But the complaint states that corporal punishment is exactly the path Thomas took when she decided to hurt the child in an attempt at discipline.

Thomas was reportedly placed on administrative leave after the October complaint, but has since returned to teaching full-time at the school.

Alex Pulaski, the school district’s interim communications director, noted that the district “rigorously vets” all of their employees before placing them in the classroom to ensure they are qualified for the job and able to ​​provide a safe and supportive space for the children. .

“We cannot comment on pending litigation,” Pulaski said. “The Tigard-Tualatin School District is committed to ensuring student safety, and we take all allegations regarding student well-being very seriously.”

It is still unclear whether the Oregon Department of Human Services has launched an investigation.

“This teacher remains in the classroom with no apparent recovery, while the boy has moved schools and is still in counseling,” Dahlin told McClatchy News.

Thomas has been licensed to teach in Oregon for 20 years, Oregon Live reported.

But so far she has not been criminally charged.