Milwaukee student suspended for taking video to prove teacher was screaming at student



MILWAUKEE - A Wisconsin middle school teacher was caught on camera berating and belittling a student, but it was the child who recorded the episode who ended up in trouble.

"Your dirty needs to learn how to take a bath - shut up," the teacher shouts in the video.

The mother of the student who recorded the video said she is appalled.

"I felt angry to be honest," Shalonda Ezell said.

Ezell said her son took the video to show how a student with special needs in his class was being treated.

"You don't shame the child because now, that could be embedded in his head for the rest of his life," Ezell said. "For an adult to say that to a child is traumatic. You don't do that."

Ezell shared the video with a friend who posted it on social media.

"I think it's a sad situation. I think it needs to be brought to light," Ezell said.

Ezell said her son took the video to expose the treatment, and she's proud he did.

"It's a good thing that he did it. How would we know what was going on inside this special ed class?" Ezell asked.

But Ezell said her son was reprimanded, suspended for three days for inappropriate use of electronic communication.

"He felt like this was wrong from an adult. He is getting penalized for it," Ezell said. "You can't fault the child. He seen that student was in need and he did what was best."

Ezell said a teacher needs to be able to keep her composure.

"Evaluate the situation before they explode - and I think people who deal with children with special needs need to be trained thoroughly," Ezell said.

The Milwaukee Public Schools released the following statement about possible repercussions for the teacher in the video:

"MPS is aware of the video that was posted on social media yesterday. The District is investigating the actions of the staff member and students. Because this is an ongoing investigation we cannot comment further."