‘I don’t know what to do’: Teacher resigns after 11-yr-old boy texts mom pic of his taped mouth

A North Carolina teacher identified as Dawn Felix has resigned after allegedly taping 11-year-old Brady Webster’s mouth shut because he was talking too much, resulting in the boy taking a selfie and sending it to his outraged mother, Catherine Webster.

(Video Credit: WRAL)

The mother is speaking out after receiving the picture which shows multiple pieces of heavy-duty blue painter’s tape on her son’s mouth. The boy was humiliated by the disciplinary incident, his mother told WRAL-TV.

The photo was sent to Catherine Webster in February from her son’s Smithfield Middle School sixth-grade classroom. The child had his mouth taped because he was reportedly too talkative in class.

“I don’t know what to do,” the boy’s text message to his mother said.

“I asked, ‘What is that? Who did that,’” the mother said. “And, he didn’t respond.”

Webster admitted her son can be talkative, a chatterbox, and a class clown, but she is distraught over the way Felix handled his behavior. The mother believes in discipline when it is called for but felt this went way over the line.

The mother recounted to Fox News Digital that her son had his mouth taped at the beginning of class and was “forced to sit through the entire period like that.” She asserted that two of his classmates also had their mouths taped that day.

“It had been going on for a while before this day,” Webster commented concerning the alleged disciplinary measure which had happened to her son a couple of times previously. “His teacher never once called me to discuss his behavior, so I wasn’t aware he was a problem for her.”

When the distraught mother saw the picture she took the issue to Principal LaShunda Faison’s office informing her that the teacher would also allegedly tape students’ wrists together. An investigation was immediately launched.

“I showed the pic to [the] principal [and] she took us into her office,” Webster noted.

The teacher resigned on Feb. 17 just days after the photo was taken according to WRAL-TV. She started working at the school on Aug. 17, 2022.

“Johnston County Public Schools takes any allegations of staff misconduct seriously. Although we cannot discuss the specifics of an investigation into alleged staff misconduct, we can confirm that whenever such allegations arise, our administration responds swiftly, by investigating the allegations and, sometimes, by removing staff from classrooms pending completion of a thorough review. School administrators are always able and willing to speak with any and all parents who may have concerns regarding any issue that occurs,” the school system declared in a statement.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation and found that there were a number of other allegations against the teacher. The police spoke with the district attorney and it was determined that an assault charge was not warranted, according to WRAL-TV.

The mother is satisfied with the investigation and with the way the principal “acted immediately” to ensure that the teacher was not in class the next day, according to Fox News Digital. But she is now calling for “accountability” so that this doesn’t happen again in the future. Webster wants to prevent the teacher from simply moving to another jurisdiction where she could do it again.

“Just because Brady didn’t get hurt, doesn’t make this any less serious,” Webster remarked.

Felix is ostensibly an international teacher, although it’s unclear where she comes from, according to the Daily Mail. She has reportedly been stripped of her visa, meaning she would no longer be able to work legally in the US.

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