The school governing body of a Newton Park primary school has opted not to renew the contract of a teacher accused of forcing grade 1 pupils to lick up food spilt on the floor.
In a letter earlier this week, Herbert Hurd Primary school governing body chair Shaun Callaghan said it had met the teacher and unanimously decided not to extend her SGB contract.
This was because “this teacher transgressed and received a final written warning while in the employ of the department of education”.
Callaghan said the department’s investigation into the food incident was, meanwhile, continuing.
The Herald reported in August that the teacher, a mother of one, had purportedly admitted guilt during meetings after the allegation surfaced.
It is believed the class had a daily ritual where pupils were allowed to eat “brain food” — snacks such as biltong and yoghurt — while sitting on the carpet.
However, a rule reportedly accompanied this practice — any food dropped had to be cleaned up by the children using their tongues.
The issue came to light after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly forced to endure the humiliation of licking up spilt yoghurt from the floor after she accidentally knocked it from a boy’s hand.
Several other parents then came forward, concerned that their children may have also been forced to lick the classroom carpet clean.
“The SGB would like to inform you that the teacher involved in the [Herald] news article was employed by the state in a temporary position for the past five months,” Callaghan wrote in his letter to school parents.
“This contract ended on August 31 2024.
“The department of education is currently busy with their investigation regarding the ‘licking of the floor incident’.
“We will at all times protect and act in the best interest of our children,” he said.
When the allegations emerged, Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the reported conduct of the teacher was “abhorrent” and “constituted a grave violation of the most fundamental principles of child protection”.
On Thursday, he confirmed the SGB’s decision not to renew the contract and said the department’s investigation was continuing.
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