Last April 1, a Texas teacher caused what may be third-degree burns to a 12-year-old student after subjecting her students to a science experiment. She resigned after the incident.
Last Tuesday, the Granbury Independent School District reported that a teacher in Granbury Middle School in Texas caused burn injuries to a boy. The school is located approximately 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
The school officials have already turned the matter over to the law enforcement authorities for proper investigation. Officials are currently investigating this incident and will ultimately submit their findings to the Office of the District Attorney for review.
A "Science Experiment" Gone Wrong
Last Friday, the police responded to a call regarding an injury at the Granbury Middle School. The authorities said a female teacher aged 37 applied hand sanitizer on the hands of a 12-year-old male student and set the boy's hands-on fire. The hand sanitizer is a flammable solution, and the act was meant to be part of a science experiment. As a result, the boy suffered burns.
According to a Newsweek report, parents said that the teacher asked her class if they like to "see something cool." According to the Granbury police, the teacher reportedly performed the said experiment many times during that day with her other students with no untoward incident.
However, the student who was injured was not so lucky. The school district reported that the boy received medical care after the incident.
Many of the students' parents reported not knowing that their children were playing with fire in their school.
The boy's condition is still unknown and has not been divulged by officials. According to the school district communications director, Jeff Meador, the school cannot provide additional details because it is a personnel issue. He stressed that they need to follow federal requirements on student confidentiality.
The teacher has since resigned from her job.
Outrage from Parents
According to CBS News, parents have been expressing differing opinions online. While some of them took the teacher's side, others have called the experiment inexcusable.
Photos were posted online that showed the hands of the student having blisters that were caused by the fire. One video showed a student quickly extinguishing the fire from his hands, which were previously applied with flammable hand sanitizer. The fire was not supposed to burn the hands or cause pain. Unfortunately, according to some accounts, the student who was injured panicked.
Angry parents expressed their criticisms regarding reports of the teacher's resignation. One parent said there was no excuse for putting a student in such danger. Another parent said that what the teacher did was not a science experiment and was stupid.
Other parents, however, were more forgiving, saying that even if the teacher may not have exercised good judgment in experimenting, it was performed safely 99% of the time. They said that having the teacher lose her job is not the solution.
According to officials, criminal charges may be filed against the former teacher.
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