UPDATE: Springville High School teacher now on leave, under investigation
Original story:
SPANISH FORK, Utah — Some Springville High students staged a walkout Monday amid growing complaints against one of the school's teachers.
The teacher, who is not being named because the investigation has just begun, is also a coach at the school.
Both current and former students have lodged complaints alleging the teacher has made inappropriate comments and had improper contact with students.
Dozens of students participated in Monday's walkout.
"There is this huge, you know, mounting pile of stories that's coming up This can't be faked. We're not all in cahoots to try to get this teacher fired. We're saying this is a very real problem. We're saying this is a very real problem. We want to be taken seriously," said former Springville High student Elizabeth Moore.
The district hasn’t named the teacher nor specified what the complaints are, but it has invited individuals with specific concerns to come forward.
“Student safety is critical and we want our students to feel safe and so it really is important that things are done in the proper way,” said Lana Hiskey, Communications and Community Relations Administrator at Nebo School District. “We want to abide by the law, we do actually have policies in place for these types of allegations, and so for any of these parents or students out there that have complaints against a teacher, we definitely want them to come forward.”
The district says students can also use the “Safe Utah” app to report things that are wrong, or call 801-489-2870.
Hiskey said a rumor about a student being expelled for lodging a complaint is not true.
Watch FOX 13 for updates as further details emerge.
