Arkansas teacher accused of making 5-year-old student clean feces out of toilet with hands

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — An elementary school teacher in North Little Rock has been accused of having a kindergarten student pull toilet paper out of a clogged toilet with feces in it with his hands.

The boy's mother, Ashley Murry, said on Tuesday that her 5-year-old told her about the incident over the weekend. His teacher at Crystal Hill Elementary School reportedly told him to clean out the toilet with his hands because he had used too much toilet paper. Murry said she was shocked when he told her and it has obviously bothered her son.

"This is unacceptable," she said.

Murry spoke with the principal on Monday and had her son moved to a different class. She said his teacher has apologized. But Murry said she wants more than an apology.

"I feel like she needs to be trained, suspended or terminated or something because that's unacceptable," she said. "I want my son to be in a safe environment, a good environment."

Pulaski County Special School District said in a statement Tuesday that it is "actively investigating" and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave.

"Employees across the district work hard every day to create an environment where students feel safe and protected," the statement says.

The boy's grandmother, Tami Murry, said in a Facebook post that the teacher did it to degrade and belittle him, either because he is Black or she didn't like him.

"I don’t know if it’s racism or pure dislike for him, but something isn’t right," the post says.

When asked if the incident has anything to do with her son being Black, Ashley said, "I don't want to say it is or it isn't."

The mother of another Crystal Hill Elementary School kindergartener said the same thing happened to her daughter under a different teacher in the fall. The girl used too much toilet paper and was asked to pull it out with her bare hands, according to her mother. She contacted the school district who told her there would be an investigation.

"This is a common occurrence at this school it seems," the mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said. "I told them, 'I pay my taxes so you can have janitors at the school, not kids unclogging toilets.'"