Officials say that a substitute teacher brought a Taser with her to Kehrs Mill Elementary School in Chesterfield this week, pulled it out and tested it inside a fifth-grade classroom.
"She won't be returning to substitute," Kim Cranston, spokeswoman for the school district, tells Daily RFT. "The thing that's really important...is this was not any situation where children or anyone was in danger."
A Chesterfield police captain tells us that the unnamed sub is not facing any criminal charges. Still, the incident appears to have sparked some controversy, with the principal sending emails to parents, on view below, trying to ensure them their kids were not at risk.
Principal Christina Garland wrote to parents on Wednesday:
This morning, we became aware that a substitute teacher brought a Taser to school. Upon learning of this, we immediately removed the Taser and substitute teacher from the classroom. Another substitute teacher was assigned to the classroom for the remainder of the school day. Rockwood is conducting an investigation and will take the appropriate action according to District policies and procedures.
In a follow-up letter, after the incident made headlines, she wrote:
A substitute teacher brought a Taser to school. While she was in an area of the classroom, away from students, she tested it. A teacher across the hall became aware of this action and immediately informed administration. The substitute teacher was quickly removed from the classroom and the school.Please be assured that at no time was there a threat to the safety of any student or staff member. The students in the class were engaged in other activities, and most may have been unaware of the incident at the time since it was handled in a quiet and efficient manner.
"Because of the intense media attention, it has raised a level of concern among our parents," says Cranston, chief communications officer with the Rockwood School District. "It was handled."
Continue for more details on the incident and the full letters from the principal.
