Teacher Resigns After Trying to Out Sixth Grade Students
by Angela D'Amboise
Orange Park, FL) - A Florida elementary
school teacher has resigned amid allegations he attempted
to force two male sixth grade students to hold hands
in front of classmates and announce to the room they
were gay.
The Clay County School Board says Swimming Pen Creek
Elementary School (right) teacher Larry Eager resigned
after he was called on for making "inappropriate"
and "humiliating" comments in front of a
reading class.
The two sixth graders told school officials they
were mouthing words to each other while the teacher
was talking. "He made us sit in the front touching
knees and then he kept trying to make us hold hands,"
said Vinny Fuller.
The boys said Eager told the other students they
were gay and kept insisting they announce they were
gay. Fuller and Jones said it went on for about 15
minutes while the six other students looked on. "I
was feeling embarrassed and wondering what he was
going to do next," said Fuller."I was mad
and I was sad," said the other student, Malcolm
Jones.
The next day, the boys said they told the principal
and their parents what had happened.
"It blew my mind," said Jackie Fuller.
"I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't
believe he came home and was telling me this.
What would possess you to do such a thing like
that? You're a teacher. They look up to you.
Why would you want to humiliate them."
Darlene Mahla, with the Clay County School
Board, said this is Eager's first year teaching
in Clay County, and he resigned before his 97-day
probation period was over. Mahla said that even
though Eager has resigned, the board is still
deciding if it'll file a report with the Professional
Teaching Commission in Tallahassee.
Both students are in new classrooms
for the time being.
