South Carolina Teacher Tosses Elementary School Student’s Shoes Into Trash As Punishment


An elementary student from South Carolina owns her blame from an incident that took place last week, but school officials are still investigating the harsh punishment that she ultimately received.

The mother of 6-year-old Taraji Edwards, Chartrese Edwards, explained to WSPA-7 that as she dressed her young daughter for class at Bryson Elementary in Simpsonville recently, little Taraji burst into tears.

“She began to cry, ‘no mommy, I don’t want to wear those sandals,'” Edwards remarked.

After inquiring further about her sartorial complaint, Chartrese learned that Taraji’s math teacher had thrown them in the trash after she attempted to relieve some irritation from her foot.

“I was messing with my shoes,” Taraji admitted, adding that the strap of the sandal was the reason for her foot pain. “And the teacher told me eight times or seven [to stop, but] I never listened.”

In a moment of frustration, the teacher then confiscated the minor Edwards’ shoes and headed toward a garbage can.

“My teacher threw them in the trash,” Chartrese relayed from Taraji’s tale, “and had me walking around [barefoot] for a while, [before] she told me I could go into the trash and get my shoes [to] put them back on.”

Understandably, Ms. Edwards is not too happy about the teacher’s mode of discipline.

“I feel like it was malicious behavior,” she stated. “I’m angry about it because [she] could have used a better method.”

To make matters worse, once she confronted the teacher and the principal of Bryson Elementary, the instructor expressed that it was all Taraji’s fault for not heeding her demand to remain still.

“She easily confessed,” Edwards revealed. “[She said], ‘yes, I did [it]. I told her to leave the shoes alone, and she did not listen to me.'”

The Greenville County Schools District, which houses Bryson Elementary, released a statement about the matter which confirms that the investigation into the teacher’s actions is currently ongoing.

“Greenville County Schools is taking this family’s concerns very seriously,” it reads. “The district does not tolerate embarrassment or humiliation as a form of punishment. This matter is being thoroughly investigated by Bryson Elementary and by district administrators. The investigation is not yet complete. As this is a personnel matter, Greenville County Schools cannot release the teacher’s name or the disciplinary action taken, if the investigation determines that discipline is warranted.”

As for Taraji, she feels extremely embarrassed about the entire ordeal and feels that it may affect her social standing with her classmates.

“I did not like how she treated me,” the little girl responded. “That [won’t help me to] make friends.”

Since the shoe snatching, Taraji’s mother has met with several school officials in the district and has reached out to the school board for help with the troublesome matter. She has also decided to keep her daughter out of Bryson until the teacher is rightfully dealt with. Until then, Taraji is being tutored by a district-approved instructor.

“I haven’t made a decision for what we’re going to do further because I need to gain some trust,” Edwards said.

One option for Taraji, according to her mom, is to place her in private school, but she needs a bit of help to do that. On Tuesday, a GoFundMe page was created by Edwards and her husband to assist them in placing their little girl in a different educational environment.

“Please help us get Taraji back in to school that’s private from the memories she have from this abuse so she can receive the education that is due to her,” a note posted to the crowd-sourcing profile partially reads.

As of this posting, only $90 has been raised toward their $10,000 goal.

[Photo by stickasa/iStock by Getty Images]

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