Teacher who shot student with Nerf dart quits job

[The Straight Story]

Teacher who shot student with Nerf dart quits job
The Beaufort Gazette (South Carolina)



A science teacher at Battery Creek High School resigned Friday, about two weeks after he was placed on paid leave for shooting a foam dart from a plastic Nerf gun at a student.

Jeffery Baker, 29, did not give a specific reason for his resignation, said Jacqueline Rosswurm, human resources services officer for the Beaufort County School District.

On Feb. 23, Baker fired a foam dart at a 14-year-old girl in a "joking manner," according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report.

The dart hit the girl's left shoulder. She then stood up and slapped Baker with the back of her hand, according to the report.

The mother of the girl said she wanted to pursue assault charges against Baker, the report said. As of Wednesday evening, no charges had been filed, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center jail log.

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/780470.html

[rcrush]

1. ...

Wheres the forehead slap smiley?

[kestrel91316]

2. And next week we will hear about assault charges for breathing air onto someone.

A foam dart is assault?? No wonder the teacher quit.

Of course I don't know all the circumstances, but you'll have to work hard to convince me the teacher did a grievous wrong.

[sendero]

3. If she files assault charges...

..she should well expect to be charged herself.

[Wildewolfe]

4. My initial response to it

is have we all just gone nucking futs?

It may have been inappropriate. God only knows that everything seems to be. But a nerf dart as assault? You ever see a nerf dart?

The kid goes and backhands the teacher (implied across the face) for it. Seems to me the outrage might be to cover that part of it which WAS assault.

[Drunken Irishman]

5. Are you fucking kidding me?

Is this The Onion?

[MadBadger]

6. Assault Charges for a Nerf Gun?

WOW

[kojak]

7. There's gotta be more to this story to warrant assault charges

and backhanding a teacher. Otherwise, everyone's become overly sensitive. I had a middle school teacher who use to throw chalk erasers at your head if you were talking in class and/or not paying attention. She nailed quite a few students in the head and everyone thought it was funny. Had another that used to smack ping pong balls at people as well. Another would give ya noogies and wedgies. Those days were fun.

[Horse with no Name]

33. I had a teacher that used to grab your hair and beat your head on the desk

Now THAT is assault.
However, back in the days when I was a kid, you didn't dare go home and tell your parents you got in trouble at school.
That warranted ANOTHER ass-whipping.

[Butch350]

35. Boy oh boy I remember those days - the same situation here.

[noiretextatique]

8. am i the only one who thinks this teacher is a jackass?

why in the hell did he shoot the girl in the first place? i don't think a nerf dart is an assault, but he had no business shooting her with anything. and kudos to her for slapping him upside the head...jackass.

[endersdragon34]

12. Jackass no, idiot yes

Even the teacher who had her students vote to kick her asperger's student out of the classroom didn't quit like this.

[noiretextatique]

16. i'll go with idiot

he quit, so i won't lose any sleep over that. it seems he has some growing up to do anyway.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. I hope so.

[noiretextatique]

15. so, you favor teachers shooting students?

even if it was only a nerf dart, that was a stupid thing for a teacher to do to a student.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. I favor teachers fraternizing with students, given an appropriate context.

Nerf darts are little toys you shoot at people and it's fun.

I'll give the teacher the benefit of the doubt.

I'll also assuming the student was being playful when she smacked the teacher.

[noiretextatique]

19. i assume she didn't realize he was being playful

so perhaps he should have communicated that better. i don't think it rises to the level of "assault." thanks for the clarification.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. You think she actually though he was trying to harm her?

What are your thoughts on the game of dodgeball?

Child's game? Or deadly serious business?

[noiretextatique]

21. he wasn't trying to harm her

but her response indicates, at least to me, that she was not playing with him or she didn't appreciated being played with. i think that's fair. the assault talk is crazy, but the student certainly has the right to not be shot by a nerf dart in class by a teacher.

[uppityperson]

24. "i assume" eom

[CRF450]

36. She's prolly one of those "keeping it real attitude" chicks that gets pissed over something...

small like this for no reason. I'v seen a bunch of those types back in high school several years ago, play a practical joke on one of them and watch out, she'd want to fight ya.

[lib2DaBone]

9. Rule #1.. it's ALWAYS the teachers fault.....

It is NEVER the fault of the school administrators who make 3 figures a year.

[TahitiNut]

10. (sheesh!)

[TahitiNut]

11. (keerist)

[SmileyRose]

13. Wouldn't a nerf gun be illegal under Zero Tolerance?

It's been a few years but some 7 yr old kid in our school system was arrested over a hot pink elephant squirt gun.

[FiveGoodMen]

23. It's time to take all the zero-tolerance people out back and shoot them.

And NOT with a nerf dart.

[SmileyRose]

28. Snort

OK, now that was just funny.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

18. There has got to be

a WHOLE lot more to this story.

Do keep this one updated. I smell something, but I ain't saying right now .......................

[NeedleCast]

22. And we wonder why we have a hard time finding quality teachers

[tonysam]

25. If the Mother Files Charges, She Will Be Laughingstock

of the community.

[Posteritatis]

26. My favorite teacher from HS had a foam brick tethered to his desk

He also had a miniature catapult which he'd use to fire bits of chalk at people who weren't paying attention.

The mother of the student in that article's an idiot. The student is too, if she assaulted a teacher over something so trivial. So is anyone else who is in favor of criminal fucking charges over a Nerf gun.

[Holly_Hobby]

27. I had a typing teacher who also was the driver's ed teacher....

During driving lessons, he would shoot us in the backseat for sleeping with a gun that shot those plastic arrows with the suction cups at the end. 1972. His name was Mr. Fullenlove.

[AwakeAtLast]

29. Damn, guess I better be careful when I play dodgeball with my students

They earn the chance to play class against class on days before vacations (Spring Break coming up). The teachers always split up and play with them. We have a blast!

[LeftyMom]

30. They can pry my Nerf arsenal from my cold, dead hands.

Seriously though, the teacher shot a Nerf dart at a kid, the kid BACKHANDED him in response, and the teacher is the one in trouble?

:wtf:

[Starry Messenger]

31. Pfft. Amateur.

Real teachers use Jarts.

[Horse with no Name]

34. Snort

:rofl:

[Posteritatis]

37. LOL! (nt)

[bluesbassman]

32. Here's a little more information. FWIW, I have a 13yr old daughter.

She is a pretty good kid, and so are her friends. However, when they get in their little "attitude" modes, they can be very exasperating. I can tell you though, she would have NEVER slapped a teacher in this instance.

At 8:09 a.m. Monday, Baker fired a foam dart from the toy gun toward a group of students who were talking and laughing in his classroom, according to the report. After most students quieted down, one girl continued to talk, and Baker fired a dart at her in a "joking manner," according to the report.

The dart hit the girl's left shoulder, and she stood up and slapped Baker with the back of her hand, according to the report. District officials would not discuss whether the student was or will be subject to any disciplinary actions.

Baker was standing about 6 or 7 feet away from the student when he fired the toy gun, and she was not visibly injured, according to the report.

The school district is investigating the incident, said Jacqueline Rosswurm, human resources officer for the school district. Police confiscated two Nerf guns and several foam darts as evidence.

http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local/story/714763.html