Iowa School Teacher Accused of Assaulting Student for T.P.-ing
Kids will be kids, but one school teacher in Iowa wasn't having it.
A common occurrence this time of year is kids "TPing". Draping toilet paper over buildings or trees as a prank. It's always been a harmless one for the most part but a Van Meter school staff member didn't take it so lightly when he caught a group of kids attempting it on his property.
Joe Bartz is accused of assault after he confronted the truckload of kids on September 17, according to KWWL. He is the middle school science teacher as well as the football and basketball coach. Seems like he'd be the wrong person to try this with.
It happened around 10 p.m. and rather than just tell them to go away in what would have been an understandably profanity-laden tirade, which few would have blamed him for, Bartz is accused of grabbing, pushing, and punching a student who got out of the truck and he is now charged with criminal mischief. Bartz was put on administrative leave. According to KWWL, "a criminal complaint says that when one of the students got out of the truck and approached the teacher, Bartz grabbed the student and pulled him down while punching him in the back and head."
We're in crazy times. Everyone is on edge, and some folks are finding harmless jokes not necessarily quite as harmless as they once were.