By Jack Kuenzie - bio | email
BISHOPVILLE, S.C. (WIS) — Police in South Carolina have been investigating allegations that a kindergarten teacher slapped some of her students and put hand sanitizer on their faces and in their mouths.
The Bishopville Police Department filed 16 counts of unlawful conduct towards a child against 48-year-old Sarah Roberta McCutchen of Bishopville.
After 23 years in the classroom, McCutchen found herself in a courtroom and in handcuffs after surrendering to police Friday morning.
The educator is accused of using excessive force and threats to discipline her students.
Among the students are Shadonna Wright's five-year old daughter.
"The first day of school she came home, always complaining about Ms. McCutchen bothering her or saying stuff like she gonna butter her biscuits or wet her lips and stick her to the wall which is, I don't know what that means," said Wright.
Wright says McCutchen's tactics went way beyond verbal threats. She says she actually saw the teacher pinch the girl and use Purell hand sanitizer as punishment.
"I saw her put hand sanitizer on my child's face and in her mouth because she said she was cursing," said Wright. "So she took it in and she took the hand sanitizer and took her in the bathroom and squirted it in her mouth. And so she closed the door and my baby come back out like 'ooh, that was nasty mama, I got a nasty taste in my mouth.' I'm like, 'did she actually put that in your mouth?' And she came home crying. She'd be scared to go to school and everything."
Wright reported McCutchen to the principal at Bishopville Primary School. Police began investigating on December 9. A police report says a teacher's aide also witnessed some of the incidents.
Then, other parents became involved. Bonita Wilson had a five-year-old son in McCutchen's classroom.
"I did not know that she put hand sanitizer in his mouth, on his face, pinched him, stepped on his finger and spanked him," said Wilson. "And that just traumatized me."
"It's also alleged that Ms. McCutchen threatened the students by saying that she has a close friend in the Department of Social Services and that if they would go home and tell their parents that she would have them taken out of their house," said Police Chief John Ewing.
McCutchen now faces 16 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child. McCutchen's attorney asked the court to release her on a personal recognizance bond, saying she was not a flight risk and did not plan to run or hide from the charges.
"She's extremely upset," said attorney Zack Atkinson. "She's been in education for over 20 years and this obviously is very shocking to her. But it's one of those things, she understands that she's going to have to deal with based on all of it, she's ready to do that."
Atkinson said McCutchen denies the charges. McCuthen is no longer employed, according to the district's spokesperson.
The district isn't saying exactly how many students might have been affected by the teacher's actions, to what degree, or for how long, but we have been told principal Lee Knight met with about four or five parents Tuesday.
McCutchen's bond was set at $30,000 on Friday, and she is to have no unsupervised contact with young children.
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Sarah Roberta McCutchen
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