Teacher Tells 5th Grade Class That He Raped His First Wife, Now On Paid Suspension

A fifth grade teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was placed on paid leave after he told his class that he raped his first wife. The shocked students immediately reported the teacher’s comments to school officials, and the teacher was suspended until an investigation into the startling remark is complete.

ABC 7 reports that the Albuquerque Hawthorne Elementary School teacher made the disturbing comment in front of the 11-year-old students in his fifth grade class. Students say that the unnamed teacher informed them that he had raped his first wife. Some students went to school officials after the class to inform them of the disturbing comment made by the man charged of teaching them. Others waited until they got home and told their parents about the incident.

One 11-year-old student told his mother Margie Brooks about the comment. Margie says she was taken aback by the comment and made her son explain the situation multiple times because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Shock, disbelief. I made him explain it to me over and over, because I just couldn’t fathom a teacher discussing this with 11-year-olds.”

According to the Daily Mail, many of the students were so distressed by the rape allegation that they went together to the school office to report the remark. School officials say they spoke with the teacher and have placed him on paid suspension while they speak to students and investigate the incident.

A spokesperson for Albuquerque Public Schools did confirm that a teacher was placed on suspension following the remarks. However, the teacher’s name was not released, as no charges were brought against the man for the alleged rape of his first wife. The school does note that an internal investigation is underway to determine if the teacher spoke inappropriately and if misconduct occurred in the classroom.

The police department says that the teacher in question has worked for the Hawthorne Elementary School since August of last year and prior to that worked for two other schools including work at Taft Middle School where he was a substitute teacher for special education students. The man also worked for Hayes Middle School where he taught math and science classes from October to January. There is no word as to why the teacher had so many different jobs within the past two years.

If it is confirmed that the fifth grade teacher told his class that he raped his first wife, what charges should be brought against the man? Should the rape allegations be investigated?

[Image Credit: Getty Images/ Jeff Mitchell]