The guardian of a kindergartener at East Ridge Elementary School in Hamilton County told media outlets this week that the 5 year-old-boy was punished for hugging a classmate.
“Chattanooga resident Summery Putnam told WTVC-TV a teacher accused the boy of sexual activities after he hugged one child and kissed another on the cheek. Putnam says the teacher told her Nathan was overstepping boundaries and she says a report was filed with the state Department of Child Services,” according to the Associated Press.
But Hamilton County Schools is firing back at what district spokesman Tim Hensley is calling a “mischaracterization of the incident” and inaccurate information.”
“This family’s characterization of the incident with their child at East Ridge Elementary does not capture the full context of the concerns expressed to them by the school. It was not a hug or kiss that prompted the school to contact the family,” Hensley said in a statement released by the district Wednesday afternoon.
Hensley also noted that the district “is bound by student privacy laws that do not allow us to discuss publicly specific details of what happened in the classroom setting with the child.”
Hensley said that the child was never punished or disciplined over the incident, but the school is bound by state and federal laws to report concerns over a child’s well-being to the Department of Child Services.
In fact, any person in Tennessee is considered a “mandatory reporter” and is legally bound to report incidents or concerns of child abuse.
Putnam told WTVC-TV that Nathan doesn’t understand normal social cues and boundaries. She says he has now switched classrooms and teachers and is enrolled in special education services, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This is a developing story. Check back with the Times Free Press for updates.
Contact Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.