Crime & Safety

Police: Substitute Teacher Drove Boy's Head Into Desk for Throwing Spitwads

A substitute teacher from Hyattsville is charged with felony assault.

Authorities claim a substitute teacher from Hyattsville drove a sixth-grade student’s head into his desk with enough force to give him a concussion – after he allegedly wouldn’t stop throwing spit wads, reports The Washington Post.

Georgette Takideu, 47, was charged with assault and cruelty to children for the November incident at a Northeast Washington school, the newspaper says.

Officials told WJLA TV that Takideu surrendered to authorities Wednesday on charges of felony assault.

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Takideu pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Wednesday and denied the accusations in an interview with police, according to the Post.

Police say a student made a complaint to the principal, who investigated. According to the Post, one of the students said the teacher told the 11-year-old boy, “You should die young.”

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WJLA says that multiple students went to school administrators to say that the teacher had repeatedly knocked on the student's head "as if someone were knocking on a door."

Court documents obtained by the Post indicate that Takideu denied hitting or harming the child, says WJLA. The boy's mother says that her son suffered a head injury. She reportedly produced medical records showing he had suffered a concussion.

Takideu told police that when the boy refused to stop throwing paper, she placed her hand on his head and told him to sit, the Post reports.

"A teacher is supposed to be a parent and take care of the child," parent Julius Tumushabe told WJLA. "We trust our teachers with our children to be the parents when we're not there.

Read the full story on the Washington Post website.


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