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HEBER CITY -- Hundreds of people are rallying support for a Wasatch High School teacher who has been charged with child abuse stemming from an incident with a student.
Steve North, 50, was placed on paid leave "pending an investigation of an incident in the classroom involving a student on Monday, March 7, 2011," according to a statement released by the Wasatch School District Friday.
But supporters of North, who is also the school's football coach, say the charges are much too harsh and that the student involved in the incident was known for talking back and being disruptive in class. They've started a Facebook page called, "Save Coach North: go find someone who actually abuses their children."
As of Saturday afternoon, the page had 545 fans.
April Knight posted, "Good coaches/teachers are hard to find these days. When we have one like Coach North, who cares about his students/athletes, why do we blow things way out of proportion before we have completely investigated the situation?"
But some say the coach's actions were way out of line. Will Boyden posted, "No matter how highly I thought of Coach North, you can't get abusive with a kid."
Students who witnessed the altercation say North was teaching his P.E. class about hockey when the student involved came to class late and then continued to talk during the lesson, even after North tapped him on the head to remind him to be quiet.
That's when North allegedly pushed the student against the wall.
A court arraignment for North is scheduled for April 20.
