The principal at a prestigious Maryland school has been temporarily removed from his job after several parents claimed a teacher was spanking students.
The principal at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School in Greenbelt is accused of not taking action after he learned of the allegations.
Xander Faber said his daughter told him his son was spanked in front of their kindergarten class.
"He was struck by his teacher until he cried," Faber said.
He said his daughter told him the teacher hit another boy even harder. The Fabers immediately filed a written report with the principal, Nasser Abi.
"There were kids who knew who the hitting teacher was in school," Faber said. "Why is that even a thing?"
As the teacher continued teaching at the school, the Fabers questioned whether an investigation was conducted and asked for a copy of the written report. He said he was told he wasn’t entitled to it.
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Faber told his story to the Prince George's County School Board.
School officials initially said no wrongdoing was found, but now the principal has been temporarily removed while the allegations are further investigated -- a year after they were first reported.
The accused teacher has moved to another district.
"We actually moved our children out of that school because we could not feel safe sending them there," Faber said. "We felt betrayed by this, and you don’t give your children to people you don’t trust."
Prince George’s County school officials said the removal of the principal does not mean he did anything wrong.
Abi could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
