Utah Students Stand Up to Substitute Teacher Who Berated Classmate After Saying He Was Thankful for His ‘Two Dads’
A substitute teacher berated a Utah fifth grader after he said during a pre-Thanksgiving lesson that he was thankful he’s finally going to be adopted by his two dads, the parents said.
The boy’s classmates said the teacher told him, “that’s nothing to be thankful for” and lectured the 30 kids in the class about her views on homosexuality. She said that “two men living together is a sin” and “homosexuality is wrong.”
Three girls asked the teacher to stop and eventually walked out of the room to get the principal, and the substitute was escorted from the building, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
One of the dads, Louis van Amstel, said he appreciates the three girls stepping up and the school’s quick response. But he wonders how the substitute got in a classroom in the first place and wants to make sure she never comes back again — at the boy’s school or anywhere in Utah.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous and horrible what she did,” van Amstel said. “We were livid. It’s 2019 and this is a public school.”
The boy told his dads that he understood what the substitute was saying, but said he didn’t speak up because he’s had two failed adoptions before and didn’t want his dads to rethink their decision, with his final court hearing coming up on Dec. 19.
“This situation really hurt him. This person really hurt us,” said van Amstel, a former dancer on “Dancing with the Stars.”
The incident happened last month at Deerfield Elementary School in Cedar Hills, south of Salt Lake City. A spokesman for Alpine School District, David Stephenson, said he couldn’t speak in detail about a personnel issue but “appropriate action has been taken.” He also praised the girls who spoke up for their classmate.
“Fellow students saw a need, and they were able to offer support,” Stephenson said. “It’s awesome what happened as far as those girls coming forward.”
The district contracts with the staffing company Kelly Services to hire substitutes.
“We are concerned about any reports of inappropriate behavior and take these matters very seriously,” Kelly Services said in a statement. “We conduct business based on the highest standards of integrity, quality, and professional excellence. We’re looking into this situation.”
A few days after the incident, the family’s neighbors decorated their house with paper hearts that said, “We love you” and “We support you.”
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Brazilian woman who killed son for being gay gets 25 years in prison
A Brazilian woman was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for killing her own son for being gay, according to reports.
Tatiana Ferreira Lozano Pereira is accused of stabbing her 17-year-old son, Itaberli Lozano, to death in Sao Paulo when hitmen failed to do the job in December 2016, Out magazine reported.
Prosecutors allege Pereira had been fighting with her son over his sexuality before she hired two thugs, Victor Roberto da Silva and Miller da Silva Barissa, to kill the teen.
The pair allegedly beat up the boy after his mother lured him home under the guise of reconciliation — but they refused to finish the job, leaving Pereira to stab him herself, the outlet reported.
Pereira admitted to killing her son at the trial, claiming that he had threatened her life, the outlet reported.
But relatives said that the teen wasn’t violent and his mother had always rejected him because he was gay, the Daily Mail reported.
“He had a job, he was very polite, [and] he never quarreled with anyone,” his uncle, Dario Rosa, told police. “He only had problems with his mother, who did not accept that he was a homosexual.”
A jury sentenced the mom last week to 25 years and eight months in prison in connection to the teen’s death.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/12/01/brazilian-woman-who-killed-son-for-being-gay-gets-25-years-in-prison/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Alexa ruins Christmas by blurting out girl’s gift
A British mom says Alexa became the Grinch that stole Christmas.
Lizzy Nuttall, 41, contends the Amazon personal assistant announced that her daughter’s Christmas present had arrived — and that the camera she wanted was inside, according to The Sun.
“When we went into the kitchen yesterday, the yellow light was on to say there was a message. Then it blurted out, ‘Parcel arriving — Instax,’“ Nuttall told the newspaper.
Her 10-year-old daughter, Alice, clearly heard the news, she said.
“I think Alexa has turned into the Christmas Grinch,” the mom said. “Now we’ll have to get Alice another gift because she hasn’t got a surprise.”
Nuttall said she wanted to warn other parents about Alexa’s big mouth.
Amazon had said that the beginning on Nov. 17 Alexa would stop revealing
via: https://nypost.com/2019/11/30/alexa-ruins-christmas-by-blurting-out-girls-gift/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
‘Teacher of the Year’ Randi Chaverria allegedly gave student oral sex in classroom
A Texas educator once lauded as her district’s “Teacher of the Year” allegedly performed oral sex on a student in a classroom, authorities said.
Randi Chaverria, a 36-year-old family and consumer science teacher at Round Rock High School, was arrested Tuesday after a student told police she had performed oral on him twice in October, according to an affidavit obtained by KVUE.
Text messages sent between the student and Chaverria – who was named the Secondary Teacher of the Year by the school district in May – appear to be consistent with the teen’s accusations, investigators said.
Parents were notified in an email earlier this month that Chaverria had an improper relationship with a student, prompting to take personal leave. She later resigned from her position on Nov. 19, the station reports.
Round Rock High School Principal Matt Groff told parents that Chaverria had passed a state background check prior to being hired – and had solid prior employment checks, KXAN reported.
“Safety is the top priority of Round Rick High School and Round Rock ISD,” Groff wrote in the letter. “Ensuring a safe and secure learning environment requires partnership between students, parents, campus and district staff, as well as law enforcement.”
Chaverria, who had taught for the past six years, credited her family’s passion for education when she was recognized for her excellence in the classroom.
“The most important role of a teacher is to help shape future generations to become successful members of our community,” Chaverria said earlier this year. “More than any curriculum I teach my students, I hope that they will walk away from my classroom thinking of ways that they can make a difference in their community and impact the lives of others for the better.”
Chaverria also led the school’s Adopt-A-Child community service project, district officials said.
She has been released on bond after turning herself in to authorities at the Williamson County Jail on charges of improper relationship between educator and student, KVUE reported.
Photo Credit: Round Rock ISD/Williamson County Jail
Mom lives with cardboard cutouts of dead son after fatal stabbing
Her grief recovery is “outside the box.”
A British woman is coping with the stabbing death of her 25-year-old son by living with two life-sized cardboard cutouts of him — which she sometimes brings to weddings and birthday parties, according to a report.
Emma Caley-Taylor, of Wiltshire, England, had the 5-foot-7 dummy versions of her son Jordan printed after he was stabbed four times in 2017, according to the UK Sun.
She often speaks to her cardboard son at her farmhouse, where “he” is set up in his former bedroom.
“I walk in and say, ‘Alright, Jords’ — it’s like he’s there,” she told the outlet. “I got them on eBay. They were done to his height and everything. It’s like looking at Jordan.”
Caley-Taylor took one of the cutouts, of Jordan wearing a T-shirt and sunglasses, to a nightclub for his charity “birthday bash” last year.
She brought a second one, in which he’s sporting a tie and a grin, to relative’s wedding and set it up near the bride and groom’s dinner table.
In March 2017, Jordan was attacked by a knife-wielding 18-year-old during a spat fueled by “drunken silliness,” Caley-Taylor said.
In recent months, the grieving mom has spoken out against lenient sentences for knife-related crime in Britain, where stabbings have increased.
Her son’s killer, Hayden Maslen, was sentenced to just 20 months but served less than a year behind bars for carrying the weapon he used to stab Jordan.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/11/29/mom-lives-with-cardboard-cutouts-of-dead-son-after-fatal-stabbing/
Photo Credit: Emma Caley/facebook
Starbucks has fired employee who gave Oklahoma officer order with ‘PIG’ printed on the label
OKLAHOMA — The Starbucks employee who gave an Oklahoma police officer cups of coffee with the word “PIG” printed on the label has been fired, the company said in a statement Friday.
The Kiefer police officer went to the Starbucks in Glenpool on Thanksgiving day to pick up five drinks, CNN affiliate KTUL reported. Kiefer Chief Johnny O’Mara told the news station a customer pointed out the label on the cups to the officer.
“What irks me is the absolute and total disrespect for a police officer who, instead of being home with family and enjoying a meal and a football game, is patrolling his little town,” O’Mara wrote in a Facebook post, where he shared a picture of a cup with the “PIG” label on it.
The coffee company called the incident “absolutely unacceptable” and said it is “deeply sorry to the law enforcement officer who experienced this.”
“The Starbucks partner who wrote this offensive word on a cup used poor judgement and is no longer a partner after this violation of company policy,” the statement read. “This language is offensive to all law enforcement and is not representative of the deep appreciation we have for police officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.”
In a joint statement, Starbucks and Kiefer police said they’re using the incident “as an opportunity to leverage our shared platforms to promote greater civility.”
The company will meet with Kiefer police to discuss ways to work together, including by jointly hosting a Coffee with a Cop event at Starbucks for local law enforcement to meet with baristas and community members to discuss “the critical role dispatchers and police offers play in keeping our communities safe,” the joint statement said.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Guy who creates sculptures out of mashed potatoes recreated Tesla’s Cybertruck at his family’s Thanksgiving
Greg Milano studied art history and architecture. He has a law degree and works in real estate. But his most important resume line?
He’s a mashed potatoes master.
This Thanksgiving, Milano, 30, used his spuds to sculpt a perfect, miniature Tesla Cybertruck.
The holiday tradition started 20 years ago when Milano was making volcanoes out of mashed potatoes.
“I am just a big kid,” Milano told CNN. “Pablo Picasso summed it up well: ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.’ ”
Since then, he’s created a Pilgrim hat, football, snowman, and more.
For inspiration, Milano pulls ideas from news.
“I did a hostess cupcake and Twinkie because they were in bankruptcy,” the “mashterpiece” artist said. “White House because it was an election year, the DeLorean from ‘Back to the Future’ because it was when Marty went to the future, and BB8 when ‘Star Wars’ came out.”
This year, Milano chose to build a Tesla cybertruck after it became the topic of conversation for the technology lovers at his family’s Thanksgiving table.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the long-awaited electric pickup truck last week.
“The hardest part was definitely the geometric lines of the design, keeping the proportions correct, achieving the illusion that it is sitting on four wheels and creating the thin walls of the bed of the truck with the tailgate down,” Milano said.
After spending hours carving out windows, tires, and the trunk of the truck, Milano heated up his masterpiece, doused it in gravy, and munched it up.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
DoorDash delivery driver accused of sending disturbing texts to teenage boy
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – A Sacramento County mother has a warning for parents after a DoorDash delivery driver sent disturbing messages to her teenage son.
“I was terrified. I know that I’m not there at the moment. I can’t go out and handle this guy myself, so my son is in real danger,” said the mother, who asked KTXL to protect her identity.
Her teenage son ordered Wendy’s off of DoorDash Sunday evening when he was home alone.
After dropping off the food, the driver kept messaging him, first asking the teenager if he lived alone.
“And so he’s screenshotting (the messages) as he’s getting them and sending them to me, and I’m eating my words. I’m like, oh my God, there’s no way. This has got to be a joke,” the mother told KTXL.
The driver went on to ask the boy to come with him on his deliveries before offering to take him to a hotel.
“When he came out with the ‘let me take you to a hotel,’ I lost it,” the boy’s mother said. “Why do you need my son, a minor, at a hotel for 40 minutes? I can’t even think about what his intentions were.”
The mother had her friend pick up her son and the driver was waiting outside. That’s when they called the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
But since no crime was committed, deputies said there was not much they could do.
DoorDash said it has taken action, saying:
We take the safety of our community extremely seriously and do not tolerate any form of inappropriate behavior. We have since taken action, including permanently deactivating the Dasher from our platform for failing to follow our code of conduct, and we are working with the customer to rectify the situation.
DoorDash is for people 18 and older, so the company also canceled the teenager’s account.
The mother said she just worries the driver may sign up for another delivery service.
“I would not be surprised if he’s already done this before,” she said. “Really grateful that my son knew better.”
She said she was also trying to get the driver’s name so she can file a restraining order but DoorDash would not release it without a criminal investigation and, again, police said no crime was committed.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Bus driver accused of drinking beer while driving students to school
A school bus driver in Illinois has been arrested after, police say, she was caught on video drinking beer while picking up elementary school students.
Michelle Passley, 44, was arrested and charged with two Class A Misdemeanor counts of Endangering the Life/Health of a child, according to a release from the Aurora Police Department.
Earlier this month, Passley “purchased beer at a convenience store and drank it while picking up students during a morning bus route in Aurora,” according to the release.
The store clerk notified East Aurora School District 131 officials after selling two cans of beer to a woman and then watched her get onto a school bus and drive away, according to the release.
Aurora police later reviewed the convenience store and bus surveillance video and watched the driver purchase the beer, return to the bus and place a beer can into a brown paper bag and drink from it while driving numerous elementary school children on the bus, the release said.
In total, 32 children were observed on the bus while Passley drank two cans of beer, police said in the release.
After officials at Passley’s employer, First Student bus company reviewed the video, they contacted Aurora police and fired Passley, police said. First Student did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
In a statement to the Chicago Tribune, bus company officials said it has zero tolerance for employees whose actions put others at risk, and that “Behavior such as this is completely unacceptable and at odds with what we stand for as a company.”
Passley was arrested Monday evening and released on a $100 bond. She is due back in court in Aurora on December 27.
The Aurora Police Department has also contacted the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office to review Passley’s commercial driver’s license.
CNN has not been able to confirm if Passley has attorney representation.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/bus-driver-accused-drinking-beer-013608177.html
Photo Credit: Aurora Police Department / Aurora Police Department
Dylan Twitty fatally shot by pal who dumped body near bus stop, children getting off bus discovered the body
A South Carolina fifth-grader was accidentally shot by a 10-year-old pal, who then dumped his friend’s body near a school bus stop, authorities said.
Children getting off a bus found the victim’s body.
The victim, Dylan Twitty, a pupil at Erwin Elementary School, was playing at a young male friend’s home in Coastal Way when the 9mm pistol mistakenly discharged, news station WBTV reported Monday.
The boys were home alone when the friend took out the weapon kept hidden under a mattress by another household member, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
“The boys were playing in the living room of the home, and the pistol discharged one time while the child who lived in the home was handling it,” authorities said. “The victim was struck and was immediately incapacitated.”
Deputies said the friend then carried Dylan out of the house and left his body on the ground.
Dylan was brought to the Medical University of South Carolina-Lancaster Medical Center, where he died, WBTV reported.
The friend’s parent, whose name wasn’t released, was charged with unlawful neglect of a child in connection with the Nov. 15 incident, authorities said.
Local Sheriff Barry Faile said authorities are working to determine whether Dylan’s friend will face charges in the case.
“This was a heartbreaking and tragic loss for the family of this 10-year-old victim, and everybody who knows about this case including all the officers who have and continue to work on it have been affected by what happened,” Faile said in a statement. “Although we are confident in the basic facts of this incident, this is an ongoing investigation.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/11/26/dylan-twitty-fatally-shot-by-pal-who-dumped-body-near-bus-stop-cops/
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