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Henrico elementary school worker threatens students with ‘jail time’

Posted at 6:43 PM, Feb 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-02 19:10:51-05

HENRICO, Va. – A CBS 6 viewer contacted the station, upset over a Henrico school employee threatening students with jail time if they don't behave.

Manny Harris said he went to pick up students at Chamberlayne Elementary school.  That is when he said he heard a school worker threaten students with jail if they didn't sit down.

“If you don't sit down you're going to jail, and then she is saying get on the floor, so that's the disturbing part. So, jail is being on the floor by the stage where she's on the microphone, that's jail,” Harris said.

He said he recorded the interaction only after he had already approached the worker previously, and told her the day before that he thought the expression was inappropriate.

“She just turned, looked at me before she got back on the mic…she said ‘that's just their reality,’” Harris said. “Those were her exact words:  ‘that's just their reality.’”

The following day, Harris said the employee used the same expression with the children, so he recorded it on his cell phone and posted it on social media.

Now parents are sounding off about the expression being used.

“You can find other explanations to tell a child what to do or what not to do, but jail isn't one of them, because they may know someone in jail…and they may know what they’ve been through already, but no, that’s not appropriate,” said parent Sheila Akeyo.

Off-camera one parent told CBS 6 that she was so upset she went to the principal this week. She said the principal apologized and said it would not happen again.

A CBS 6 reporter tried to reach the employee but was told it is a personnel matter.

“What happened to timeout what happened to cool down time?” asked Harris.

“They need to be reminded of that they can make it, that they can be successful, they don't need to be reminded of the negative,” he added.

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