Teacher's aide on leave after serving dog food to preschoolers

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A Tacoma elementary-school teaching assistant who served preschoolers dog food during a play-acting exercise this week has been placed on paid administrative leave.

The preschoolers were part of an early-education class at Northeast Tacoma Elementary School, where they had been moving between "learning goal stations" around the room Monday afternoon, said Tacoma School District spokeswoman Patti Holmgren.

A family-service worker, who usually supervises the class, had stepped out of the room and left a teaching assistant in charge, Holmgren said.

When a few of the students pretended to be puppies, getting down on their hands and knees and barking, the assistant attempted to encourage their playacting by fetching "props" from next door: a packet of dry dog food and some sunflower seeds that she poured on paper plates and placed on the floor, Holmgren said.

Some of the students ate the sunflower seeds, and a few allegedly nibbled on the kibble — although the district maintains they spit out the dog food and that no one suffered any ill effects.

The dog food had come from a display intended to teach the preschoolers "what not to eat," Holmgren said.

School principal Pat Flores learned about the incident Tuesday after a parent complained. In a letter sent to parents Wednesday, Flores called the event "unfortunate" and said the district was investigating.

The assistant, newly hired, is on paid administrative leave until the investigation wraps up, probably within the next week, Holmgren said.

Brenda Dattilo, whose 4-year-old daughter is in the class, said she was appalled by the incident. "It's completely inappropriate and inexcusable," she said.

While she appreciates encouraging child development through imaginary play, "I don't see any educational value in running around acting like dogs, eating dog food off paper plates on the floor," Dattilo said.

Holmgren said playacting is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers, but acknowledged that giving the children dog food "was not a good judgment call."

"No harm was intended," Holmgren said. " thought she was being creative. ... It just didn't turn out very well."

Dattilo said she has been disappointed with the district's response. She hopes for an apology from the teaching assistant and the principal, and wants the assistant to be reassigned so that she no longer has contact with children.

"They kept saying to me that it was mistake. But to me, it was one mistake too many," Dattilo said. "You can't afford to make those types of mistakes."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2002115112&zsection_id=2001780260&slug=dogfood10m&date=20041210

Oh, please! Some parents are so clueless.

When my husband was a kid he used to carry dog kibble in his pants pocket, and yes, every once in a while he'd take a nibble. It was just weird kid behavior, and yes, he was certainly old enough to know it wasn't cool to be eating dog food.

It was one of the reasons why I fell in love with him.

We have all munched a little kibble, no?

Stupid but funny.
Make her promise not to do it again and drop the matter.

crap the Bush Crime Family's FDA and Department of Agriculture will be letting them eat from now on.

soon there shall be the gubmnt' kibble

considered harmful for these kids (who if like most kids have eaten far worse?)
Sort of an overreaction, if you ask me.



BTW, I'm caught by the irony that taxes are waved on "food," but not dogfood, even though some people do eat dogfood themselves. Just a thought....

Too many crazy people out there.

They invite a neighbor lady over for dinner -- earlier in the day the youngest son has noticed several empty cans of dog food in her trash -- she brings a meat loaf to dinner.

She was rightly latching onto their enthusiasm by encouraging their playacting. Where's the lasting harm?

Who knows, however, what this sounded like coming from a preschooler but once the incident was explained I don't understand how it got this far.

One hysterical parent=paid leave and a news article.

What the hell is wrong with people around here??? First, she took the dog food from a program designed to teach kids what NOT to eat. It's important that lesson be consistent because kids really do need to learn there are things you DON'T EAT. Second, play-acting is exactly that, play-acting. Alot of kids crawl around and bark like dogs and meow like kitties. I've not seen ONE of them that felt the need to actually go to the dog food bowl. The kids have more common sense than the adults these days.

:evilgrin:

crawl right up to the dog food bowl at my mother in laws and start slobbering all over kibbles. I was grossed out, and did everything I could to stop it. We eventually had a baby gate blocking off the kitchen (where the dog food was).

I would be completely disturbed if I even thought that someone had encouraged my kids to eat dog food. Shame on this woman!

Yummm...