[clevfan]

05/05/06
Parent Claims Teacher Bet on Students' Success

Reported by: Brooke Kelley
WTOC TV
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

The mother of a Chatham County fifth grader is taking issue with her child's teacher. The parent claims a fifth grade teacher at Windsor Forest Elementary placed a bet that certain students will pass her class.

Pamela Walker says her child was in class at Windsor Forest when she says her teacher Emma Williams bet a dollar that certain students would pass her class and others wouldn't. Her child was one that the teacher said wouldn't pass.

Because of the bet, Walker is concerned that her child is being discouraged rather than encouraged at school. "I really feel this teacher has turned our children into a horse race, placing dollar bets on our children's heads."

She says whether her daughter's name was called or not, the whole idea of placing a bet is wrong. "She said specific names to the class," Walker told us. "She bet they would pass and others would not."

The principal of Windsor Forest Elementary School, Michael Way, says once he got the initial compliant that betting was potentially going on, he went to the students and asked them what happened.

"I was specifically looking for any hard feelings," he said.

Way says he didn't find any other students who were upset. "An error of judgment, yes, to this magnitude, no," he said. "There was no money and no betting at the school."

But Walker says even if the teacher made comments singling out certain students, it was in poor taste and the district needs to take action. "You're telling a child, 'Why should I even try? Because the teacher has already doomed me for failure and she didn't place a bet on my head.'"

The principal says the situation has been addressed and affirmative disciplinary action was taken, but would not go into specifics.

He also says he offered to let Pamela Walker's child switch classrooms for the last couple weeks of school.