Flagler County teacher makes 4-year-old unclog dirty toilet with hands, mom says

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A teacher's "teachable moment" left a mother outraged claiming the teacher made her 4-year-old son unclog a dirty toilet with his bare hands.

"From infancy, do not put your hands in the toilet," said the boy's mother Tiffany Huffman.

But that's exactly what Huffman said her son was forced to do on Monday, during bathroom time at Rymfire Elementary School.

"They've been having issues with their toilets. I guess the children kept clogging them up," she said.

Huffman said the pre-kindergarten teacher claimed her son clogged the toilet before and this time, was going to be taught a lesson.

"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. He felt like people were watching him have to do this. He was humiliated,"
she said.

Huffman immediately called Rymfire Elementary and said the teacher admitted to doing it but claimed the toilet was clean. Huffman said regardless, she shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

"It's endangering his health. I realized afterwards that there was cuts on his hands but like the bacteria, anything could set in on those cuts," she said.

News 6 called the Flagler County School District who released a statement saying in part, "We take these allegations seriously... an investigation was immediately launched."

"It's frustrating to me because I want my kids to go to that school but he won't be going back into her classroom, that's for sure," said Huffman.

The district said it will make a decision on Friday if the teacher should be disciplined. News 6 learned the teacher has been with the school for four years.