‘Ugly, fat, and stupid’: Teacher suspended after he insulted a student, SC board says
.JPG "A music teacher who used profanity in a classroom had his certificate suspended, South Carolina officials say.")
A South Carolina teacher could get his certificate back after calling a student “ugly, fat, and stupid,” officials say.
Michael Eugene Berry was suspended Tuesday after more than 26 years on the job, according to an order from the S.C. State Board of Education.
Berry was working at the Columbia-based Richland County School District One when a student was late to class in 2017, the state board says.
The music teacher repeatedly told him to put his backpack under his desk, but the student didn’t comply, according to officials.
Berry “slammed his hand on the student’s desk,” raised his voice and used profane language in the classroom, the state said.
After the incident, Berry said he was “intentionally causing a scene to get the students’ attention,” the Board of Education said.
The situation prompted the state to issue a “public reprimand” on his teaching certificate in May 2018, officials say.
By that time, Berry had resigned from the district and was working for the Darlington County School District, which is roughly 10 miles northwest of Florence, spokeswoman Audrey Childers wrote in an emailed statement to McClatchy news group.
Darlington County schools put Berry on administrative leave but allowed him to come back to work, warning that “future incidents could result in possible termination,” according to the state order.
He was later accused of improperly handling two “student disciplinary issues,” the order said.
Berry also called a student “ugly, fat, and stupid,” according to the Board of Education.
“Mr. Berry admitted to insulting the student,” the board said. “He apologized and alleged that he had lost his temper.”
South Carolina officials say Berry resigned from Darlington County schools in April 2019 but didn’t request a hearing in his case.
The board eventually found he “engaged in unprofessional conduct towards and in the presence of students,” according to its order.
Berry’s teaching certificate is suspended until November 2021, the order says. He can make a request to have his certificate back at the end of the two-year period, according to the document.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 12:53 PM with the headline "‘Ugly, fat, and stupid’: Teacher suspended after he insulted a student, SC board says."
