LAKE WYLIE -- An Oakridge Middle School teacher has been charged with assault and battery after three students at the Lake Wylie school told authorities the teacher spanked them, authorities said.
The 12-year-old boys told investigators that seventh-grade math teacher Chris Petrasek disciplined them by striking them "with his hand” on the “buttocks,” according to a York County Sheriff's Office report.
Two of the students, according to the report, said they “were laid over his lap” and then hit. Two students also said they were embarrassed and that the hits “stung.”
They said the spanking was punishment for getting a low grade, missing a question or talking out of turn.
One student told investigators that Petrasek, 48, held him by the neck, leaned him over a desk, and then hit him, the report says.
The sheriff’s office has issued a warrant for Petrasek, who has agreed to turn himself in on Monday, deputy Michael Scurlock said. Petrasek couldn’t be reached Thursday.
The alleged spankings occurred between September and November, the report says.
An assistant principal first heard about the incidents on Nov. 18, Clover schools spokesman Mychal Frost said. Principal Will Largen wasn’t at school that day, but he spoke with Petrasek the following Monday, Nov. 21.
Petrasek, who also coaches wrestling, was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay, Frost said.
Clover schools’ policy bars employees from using corporal punishment, or “any act of physical force,” to discipline students.
Oakridge Middle’s resource officer told sheriff’s investigators about the accusations.
The report does not specify where on campus each of the incidents allegedly occurred. Frost declined to discuss details and said district officials turned the investigation over to the sheriff’s office.
Clover schools hired Petrasek in August 2007, Frost said. His annual salary is $36,140.
He faces at least one charge of third-degree assault and battery, a misdemeanor that can bring a fine of up to $500 and 30 days in jail, according to state law.
