A Colorado teacher is on paid administrative leave after being accused of assaulting a student who allegedly refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
CBS Denver reported that the Boulder Valley School District and the Lafayette Police Department are conducting an investigation into claims that a teacher allegedly assaulted a student for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Boulder Valley School District spokesman Randy Barber said in a statement that school officials placed Karen Smith, a physical education teacher at Angevine Middle School, on paid leave following the allegations.
The Lafayette Police Department responded to the incident at the school Thursday afternoon and school principal Mike Medina notified parents that evening that an incident took place involving Smith. Medina did not elaborate on any details about the situation.
Barber added that it is Boulder Valley School District policy to allow the students to decide whether to sit or stand for the pledge without punishing them.
Some parents, however, doubt that the allegations against the teacher have any weight behind them.
Two parents told CBS Denver that they thought the story had been “blown out of proportion” and were disappointed at the way it was being publicized.
Another parent remarked that her daughter says Smith is a “strict” teacher but that she had never had an issue with her.
Police have not filed charges.