BA Parents Call For Firing Of PE Teacher They Say Slapped Son

Two parents want their son's PE teacher fired after they say she slapped him in the face on a field trip.

Lacey and Robbie Hedrick say they weren't called about the incident for more than an hour, and by the time they got to the school, their son had already given a written statement and told them the handprint where he said he had been slapped had disappeared.

A slap in the face, that's what Zach Hedrick says his punishment was for talking back to his PE teacher on a field trip to the bowling alley.

Zach says he was trying to pick out a different bowling ball than the one he was given.

“I tried to tell her that my hand doesn't fit these,” he explained. “She thought I was talking back I guess, so she sent me out."

When he asked her if he could go back inside to bowl with his friends, That's when he says things took a turn.

“She's like, 'Do you know why I sent you out?' And I said, ‘No, not really.’ Then, she got very upset about that and really mad, and she slapped me,” said Zach. “I didn't really know what to think. I was like, I never knew a teacher would do this, you know?"

Zach's parents say the headmaster at Immanuel Lutheran Christian Academy didn't call her for more than an hour after the incident.

“The PE teacher had called him and said that she lost her temper and she slapped Zach,” said Lacey.

Robbie said, “I was a little bit in shock, disbelief. That's not something you hear every day. That's not something you want to hear."

They say the headmaster told them PE teacher Julie Hensley is suspended while they conduct an investigation.

“You have a 12-year-old boy who's not physically threatening,” said Robbie. “He's not intimidating by any means, and to react that way is unnecessary."

Although they say they feel the school has handled it well, for the most part, they don't think Hensley should get to keep her job.

"For us, one time is too many times to physically strike another person in general, but especially a child,” said Robbie.

I did reach out to the school for comment but haven't heard back yet.