Local

Jacksonville elementary school teacher suspended, accused of harming students

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local kindergarten teacher is suspended from Rufus E. Payne Elementary School after being accused of abusing students.

According to a Duval County Public Schools investigation, Michael Slowik pushed a student and grabbed another student's arm.

A parent, who doesn’t want to be identified, said she’s glad the school board is taking this step.

“So it won’t happen again to another child,” the woman said.

Action News Jax got the investigation report. In September, the report states that the assistant principal saw Slowik pulling on a child’s arm.

Slowik then told her he did it to keep the child from getting near the buses.

Two months later, he allegedly pushed a student to the floor because she wouldn’t leave his class to go into another classroom.

A week before, a teacher said she heard Slowik speak to his class and say “You better stop or I am going to smack you.”

Slowik was also disciplined by the district in the past.

In September 2002, he got a written reprimand for pulling on a student’s ponytail in a teasing manner.

Last February, he got a verbal reprimand for yelling at a principal, parent and students.

Then in June, he got a written reprimand for using force to put a child in a chair, pushing him in the chair when he tried to get up and saying the child’s dad needed to beat him.

Parents said hearing all of this is concerning.

“My kids go there and I want them to be as safe as possible and to hear to that it’s very outrageous,” the parent said.

Slowik is suspended for 10 days without pay and a letter of reprimand is being placed in his personnel file.