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SOUTH SALT LAKE -- A teacher in the Granite School District has been charged with child abuse for hitting a student with a violin bow.
The teacher has been ordered to appear in court and if convicted could face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
The school district took action against the teacher when the incident happened and felt the issue had been appropriately dealt with. Then, to its surprise, a child abuse charge was filed this week by the District Attorney in 3rd District Court.
The alleged child abuse incident happened at Woodrow Wilson Elementary on Sept. 19, during a music class. The teacher, Ramona Pace, was instructing the students when an 11-year-old boy began to play out of turn.
According to charging documents, Pace hit the boy on the right thigh with her violin bow, leaving a mark. The boy told police Pace apologized, saying, "sorry for hitting you, I was frustrated."
Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley, said, "She was the one that immediately came down to report the incident to her supervisor, and basically self-reported the incident."
Horsely says police were called to the school to investigate the incident. The district also investigated and immediately took disciplinary action against Pace. But ultimately, based on their findings, Pace was allowed to continue teaching since they felt that the children in her classes were not at risk.
"We felt like we handled it internally, administratively," Horsley said. "I don't feel like we felt criminal charges were going to be filed. But that is at the discretion of the prosecutor. That's not up to me to decide of it's appropriate or not."
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
