Preschooler Forced to Unclog Toilet With Hands, Mom Says

Most parents of preschoolers know to keep a plunger handy for those unfortunate times when the little ones decide only a whole roll of paper will do the cleanup trick.

A teacher in Flagler County is drawing fire for opting against the plunger in favor of allegedly forcing a 4-year-old boy to unclog a toilet with his bare hands. When the boy told his mother about the incident, she reported it to the school district. Now, an investigation is under way into the reportedly unorthodox plunging technique, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Tiffany Huffman, the boy’s mother, is rather distraught with the unusual turn of events at Rymfire Elementary School. While Huffman said she understands the school has been having toilet issues thanks to kids frequently clogging them up, she doesn’t feel the teacher’s actions to curb the concern were appropriate.

“The teacher said he used too much toilet paper and made him reach his hand in the toilet and grab out the toilet paper with his bare hands,” Huffman was quoted by Click Orlando as saying. “He felt like people were watching him have to do this. He was humiliated.”

See Also:

• Mom: 4th-Grader’s Love Notes Not Sexual Harassment
• Family Hires Attorney After Hug Leads to Detention

Aside from the humiliation, several media outlets have quoted Huffman as voicing concern about the bacterial exposure her son may have faced, as well.

For its part, the Flagler County School District has announced it has launched an investigation into the incident. What actions, if any, might be taken against the teacher are not known at this time.

The alleged incident in Flagler County isn’t the only one out of Florida schools to have made headlines in recent months. A Seminole County family recently hired an attorney after they say their daughter was disciplined for giving another student a one-second hug. In Hillsborough County, a mother turned to the media when she said her fourth-grader was warned about handing out love notes to a little girl.

Image via Shutterstock