‘One of the students fainted’: Teacher nabbed for hitting boys’ head with doorknob

CEBU, Philippines - A public school teacher was arrested and now detained after she allegedly hit her students with a doorknob causing one of them to faint Thursday at Calajoan Elementary School in Minglanilla, Cebu.

Rossan Sellote, 31, a grade four teacher living in the same barangay, is currently detained at Minglanilla Police Station after the parents of her nine-year-old student she allegedly hurt complained to the police.

Police Officer 2 Marry Christie Nacario of the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk of Minglanilla Police Station said the boy alleged that his teacher hit his head with a doorknob three times.

Nacario said according to the boy’s account, at around 4 p.m. last Thursday, the boy engaged in a fight with a classmate.

Upon seeing that the two students were fighting, Sellote immediately tried to pacify them. She allegedly took an unused door knob placed at the teacher’s table and hit the students with it.

Nacario said the nine-year-old boy fainted after he was hit hard in the head.

The boy’s aunt, who fetches him from school, was the one who first learned about the incident after she saw her nephew’s head bleeding.

“Ingon ang bata nga katulo daw siya gihapak sa maestra. Silang duha daw sa iyang nakaaway pero mura’g siya ang nagrabehan kay nagkadugo man g’yud ang ulo sa bata,” said Nacario.

At around 8 p.m. of the same day, the parents of the boy went to Minglanilla Police Station and formally filed a case against the teacher.

Nacario said she has talked with the teacher who denied the allegation, saying she only pushed the boys away from each other to end the fight.

However, the teacher’s denial did not matter after the boy’s parents got a medical report showing that the head of the boy sustained bruises and injuries.

The teacher is now facing charges for child abuse with a recommended bail of P80,000.— (FREEMAN)