A charter school teacher in Coral Springs, Fla., was arrested Wednesday after she forced a 10-year-old boy to unclog a urinal with his bare hands, authorities said.
Jennifer Forshey, 58, was charged with battery of a child by exposure to urine, according to the Coral Springs Police Department.
“It’s a third degree felony and it encompasses urine, feces, bodily fluids, stuff like that,” Coral Springs Sgt. Carla Kmiotek told the New York Daily News.
If convicted, the Broward Community Charter School teacher could face up to five years in jail.
On Feb. 6, Forshey allegedly accused the student of stuffing paper towels in a urinal to block the drain. The boy denied it. She then forced him to remove the paper towels that were soaked with other people’s urine using his bare hands, authorities reported.
“He tried to remove the urine-soaked paper towels and it got all on his hands,” Kmiotek said. “He wanted to wash his hands but there was no soap in the bathroom.”
The child told his mother, who went to the school the next day to report Forshey. After a couple of days the mom decided to alert Coral Springs police, who turned it over to a Special Victims Unit.
Forshey admitted that she did not provide the boy with safety gloves or another form of protection, according to the arrest report.
Broward Community Charter School officials were not immediately available for comment.
A request for interview was redirected to Alex Horton, vice president of the Leona Group, the operator of the charter school.
Horton declined to comment in depth — saying that the school principal will release a statement later today — but did note that they “are making sure that we are working with our authorities to the best of our abilities.”
Forshey has since been released on bond.
Attorney Joshua J. Hertz released a statement on behalf of the victim’s mother.
“The only reason we are bringing this story to the public is to find out if any other child has been treated in this way before.”
Photo: Broward County Jail
