20-05-2025
Outrage as DC teacher brings back CORPORAL PUNISHMENT after girl, 14, took too long to wash her hands
A Washington, DC, school teacher has been accused of using corporal punishment on a student after she took too long to wash her hands.
The 14-year-old eighth-grade student at Sousa Middle School claimed her teacher struck her with a yardstick on May 13.
Her mother, Janel Doy Johnson, told FOX 5 she was washing her hands after a science project, and when the bell rang at 3:15 p.m., the unnamed teacher hit her bottom with the stick and told her to hurry up.
The girl also alleged that another student gave the teacher a brush to give to her, but instead, he put it in his pocket.
She claimed the teacher did that so she would reach into his pocket and grab the brush.
Afterward, the student reported the incident to her school counselor, and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) launched an investigation.
'[I'm] devastated, hurt, furious and kind of scared. I wanted to press charges, for one, and get a report,' Johnson told the local news station.
'So I can have something done and justice done for what he's doing to these children in the school.'
A copy of the police report obtained by showed the teacher justified his action by claiming he was trying to move her along.
'An 8th-grade student stated that while she was washing her hands at the sink in lab class, her teacher touched her on her left leg and thigh area with a 36-inch ruler,' the report said.
'[The teacher] stated that he did it for her to hurry her along to leave the classroom for the day.'
Sousa Middle School principal Brittany Green-Pascal sent a letter home to parents confirming the investigation.
'I am writing to make you aware that an allegation of corporal punishment has recently been made against a Sousa staff member,' the letter said. 'DCPS treats any allegation of employee misconduct with the greatest importance.'
Green-Pascal said the unnamed teacher is on leave and will not return until the investigation is complete.
The student's outraged mother has taken to social media to call for accountability from the school.
'I'm a heartbroken and outraged mother. My daughter and several other young girls at her school have come forward with serious accusations of being inappropriately touched by a staff member. I am demanding answers, action, and safety for our children,' Johnson said.
'What happened at the school was not 'discipline.' Let's be clear—this was sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct by a trusted adult.
'My daughter is a well-mannered, respectful child who knows right from wrong, and she bravely spoke up when something didn't feel right.
'I will not allow this to be downplayed or dismissed as anything less than what it was. No child deserves to be made to feel unsafe at school. Our kids should be protected, not silenced.'
