Dad punches teacher for innapropriate behavior!!

[m&m's mom]

Have not read all the responses but.......
I immediately turned against the guy when I read "My child would never lie to me". A dead give away that there are issues there.
Honestly if he is that hot headed then his DD would be too afraid to go to him w/ anything bad that she had done.

 

[Disney Doll]

Innocent until proven guilty, applies to courtrooms and holding cells. I believe that the only thing that father showed his daughter is that he'll protect her.

But who'll protect her from him?

And quite frankly, he "showed" her a lot more than that, and not all of it was good.

I'd be completely ashamed of my father if he ever behaved like this in my school.

All they eneded was Jerry Springer there filming...that would have just completed the whole scenario.

 

[Disney Doll]

OMG I found this in the Bradenton newspaper!!!Swafford's daughter was in the in-school suspension program for pouring Coke on a classmate last week.

On Wednesday, Swafford's daughter went home early from school after a group of girls harassed her, according to the daughter.

Prior to being hired at Lakewood Ranch High in 2002, Mathis was a counselor with the Department of Children and Families from 1996 to 1999. He worked at Daughtrey Elementary School from August 1999 to October 1999, and he also worked at Manatee Palms, a mental health facility for juveniles, in 2003, but was terminated, according to court records.

Mathis was fired by Manatee Palms officials Sept. 10, 2003. Following his termination, he damaged numerous doors in the building, confronted another employee and was charged with criminal mischief, a first-degree misdemeanor for which a judge later withheld adjudication, according to court records.

Swafford has been arrested on four different occasions over the past 20 years on charges including battery, disorderly conduct, resisting without violence and obstruction. All charges were dropped except a 1991 disorderly conduct and obstruction charge for which he was sentenced to community service and probation, according to court records.

If convicted of the battery on a school employee charge, Swafford faces up to five years in prison. An arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 24.

Swafford said it doesn't matter to him whether he's convicted.

"I don't care about the charges. I just want to make sure he (Mathis) never teaches again, not here, not anywhere. School is the only place your child goes where you can't protect them. Teachers are supposed to be special and love the kids, not harm them."

Swafford's 69-year-old Bradenton father, James, was arrested in 1999 and charged with a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16 years of age, according to court records.

David Swafford says his dad made a bad call, but claims that the girl was willing.

"He should have pleaded not guilty, but he didn't. He didn't know what he was getting himself into by pleading guilty. He lost his business and had to beg my mom to stay with him," he said.

James R. Swafford was convicted and received two years of community control and 13 years of probation, which ends in 2016. A six-year prison sentence was suspended, but if he violates probation he would automatically be forced to serve the sentence, according to Clerk of Circuit Court officials.

David Swafford said he "smacked" his dad for what the charge did to his mother, but there are two different types of predators


EVERYBODY involved in this is a COMPLETE freak!

I was right. It is a Jerry Springer episode!!!!!

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Did you miss the part where it states that the teacher didn't do anything or do you think that he shouldn't be able to teach b/c he'd been accused of it?

No I didn't miss that. I was trying to say if the father was trying to stop the teacher from teaching and doing this to anyone else he took the wrong steps to do this. As the Father is the one that is sitting in jail. I am not so sure the teacher is at fault for what she is saying happened.

This is local news for me so I am hearing alot of things that parents of students that know this girl or were in the classroom when this happened are saying.

Like I said it will be interesting to see how this pans out when everything is investigated.

 

[minkydog]

Now, this morning this father was on the local radio station. he said his daughter was being held in a classroom (like detention) for throwing a coke on someone. He said I am not saying she's an angel but that the teacher locked the door and her thong must have been showing above her pants and the teacher snapped it.

The father also stated that when he asked his daughter to take him to the teacher - the father asked the teacher to come to the meeting and the teacher kicked his feet up on the desk and put his hands behind his head and smirked....

I can't wait to hear the other side of this one.

 

[urglewurgle]

What the father did was wrong and can not be condoned even if the aide was guilty. Two wrongs don't make it right. The father is sending the wrong message to his daughter and her fellow students.


I also agree that if it is not true, the girl should be severely punished. If it is true then prosecute the aide to the full extent of the law.

ditto...

even the father himself said he wasn't proud of what he did... i can understand WHY he did it.. but he still broke the law himself, and what are his actions teaching his children? solve your problems with violence? whatever.

you can't just go around punching people... it was not his place to appropriate guilt and/or punishment, and he has done nothing more than make the situation worse!

and a radio station APPLAUDED this?

 

[jgmklmhem]

Did you miss the part where it states that the teacher didn't do anything or do you think that he shouldn't be able to teach b/c he'd been accused of it?

I know false accusations happen all the time but suspension with pay is just always the prudent thing to do until an investigation can unearth the truth. I mean even in criminal court you go to jail unless you can post bail. So I don't think removing someone accused of sexual misconduct from active duty is too much to ask. I mean how deeply do you think the school/school board etc would be in it if they knew an accusation had been made and then the teacher followed it up with more acts.

 

[Free4Life11]

I was right. It is a Jerry Springer episode!!!!!

You got that right!! Doesn't sound like this girl has grown up in the greatest enviroment.

 

[teacherforhi]

also - we all know the media only report the truth......

cindy - I heard the father's side and am waiting to see if the teacher makes a comment. As of early this morning I guess he wasn't talking. Haven't seen the news since then.

He probaby can't. In my school system, we aren't allowed to give any statements to the press concerning anything about school without an administrator's approval. Usually, it's handled by someone from the central office.

 

[lilostitch]

Innocent until proven guilty, applies to courtrooms and holding cells. I believe that the only thing that father showed his daughter is that he'll protect her.

Yea, but what if he is protecting a liar?

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

i can't say i blame the man. My first thought would be to believe my daughter, this is not something you want to ask her if she's lying about.

 

[C.Ann]

Unfortunately, it happens quite a bit. A few years ago, we had girls accuse a male teacher of inappropriately touching them. There was a huge reaction...someone even shot the windows of his car out. It almost made it to trial when the girls finally admitted that they had made the story up because he had made them stay after school to finish a test. The man's life was ruined. Even though he wasn't fired, he didn't feel he could stay either.

I also had a student last year who regularly accused his teachers of 'coming onto him'. I was warned to never, ever be alone with him so that it would be his word against mine.

---------------------------------------------------

Sadly, when dealing with the teenage population, false accusations of all sorts (against both teachers and parents) can be very common..

This father was out of line and had no business confronting this teacher.. He should have followed the proper channels.. His actions were premature..

 

[lilostitch]

I live in Bradenton. Lakewood Ranch high school, was my high school rival.

I dont know anyone involved. but its neat to have a story with my town in it!

And now for my opinion:

The man did not MOLEST the girl. I think the Father was out of line. As a teacher he shouldnt touch or comment on anything sexual about a student. But neither should passerbys on the street. So next time Im on my knees at publix, grabbing a can off the shelf, and man walks by me and tells me "i like to see a girl on her knees" I'll make sure to call my Dad so he can knock him out. (that actually happened to me - ew)

-Out of line you cant take the law into your own hands. Especially with no evidence, other than your daughter's words.


And FYI - Lakewood Ranch the community is full of all the Richest people in Bradenton. *most* of the kids who go to lakewood ranch expect things to handed to them, and paid for by their parents. From what I hear from people I know who go to the school, this girl wasnt Ms. Innocent and she was quite the attention seeker. And the teacher was a friendly joking around kind of teacher, who not only let you call him by his first name, but would let you skip school, as long as your brought him some fast food. Every high school has one of these teachers, and every high school has some girl seeking attention.

I flirted with my teachers. (trust me it didnt influence my grades :-/) There was always sexual banter going on between the students and some of those 'friendly' teachers. (espcially at Marching band practice) And if your THONG is hanging out of your pants, i know some teachers who would have commented on it. And would have thought nothing of it. Because we had somewhat of a personal relationship with these teachers....

Just my two cents...

The comments the men made to you in Publix, um...gross!

The teachers and the sexual banter...totally inappropriate. I know there are pre-teen and teen girls out there flirting with their teachers. The girls are wrong to do it, BUT the teachers who flirt back are not only unprofessional, unethical, and slimy; they are fools! Is flirting with teen girls worth your profession that you went to college for?! Idiots.

 

[Southern4sure]

She made it up to get back at the aide.......

http://www.tampabay10.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=24397

UPDATE:
Manatee County School Officials say the girl made the whole story up, and her girlfriends helped her.

They say she was in detention because she poured coke from a second story window on another student.

The person who saw her do it was the teacher's aide that was punched. That's why she was sent to detention.

She made up the story to get back at him. She asked her girl friends to back her story.

In the process of the investigation, one of the girls cracked, and admitted it was a fabrication.

The girls face possible expulsion from school.

At the time the teacher's aide was accused of improperly touching the student, he was on videotape that showed him on the other side of the school.

 

[DawnCt1]

She made it up to get back at the aide.......

http://www.tampabay10.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=24397

She should be expelled. These accusations are very serious and sadly, happen enough, (at least three or four confirmed cases in Ct alone) that they are believable. A false accusation can ruin the accused for life but a molestation can do the same thing. Shame on that girl!

 

[robertsmom]

Oh my gosh!! I must be living in a fantasy world because I never in a million years knew that students lie all the time. I certainly don't think they're all little angels but my first reaction to this story was NOT that the girl was lying or that ALL kids lie about this kind of thing. Wow!! I really don't know what else to say.

Thank you for saying what I was thinking! While I don't condone violence, I find it disturbing how many people are basically saying "well she probably made it up". Flame away, if you must, but that's how it seems to me.

 

[C.Ann]

She made it up to get back at the aide.......

http://www.tampabay10.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=24397

-------------------------------------

I'm not one bit surprised.. People have to think long and hard before they automatically assume such allegations (and worse) are truthful..

Sadly though she will receive little or no punishment - after destroying a man's reputation and placing him in a situation where he was physically assaulted..

 

[tiggersmom2]

Thank you for saying what I was thinking! While I don't condone violence, I find it disturbing how many people are basically saying "well she probably made it up". Flame away, if you must, but that's how it seems to me.

She did make it up. She should be expelled and have charges brought against her.

 

[DawnCt1]

-------------------------------------

I'm not one bit surprised.. People have to think long and hard before they automatically assume such allegations (and worse) are truthful..

Sadly though she will receive little or no punishment - after destroying a man's reputation and placing him in a situation where he was physically assaulted..

And conversely, people have to think long and hard before they dismiss the accusations as "falsehoods". Sadly, violations by trusted adults happen all to often these days.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

She made it up to get back at the aide.......

http://www.tampabay10.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=24397

Nice real nice. I think both girls should be expelled from school.

I missed that on the news tonight.