A Marion County teacher spit on a student, according to Marion County School District
The mother of the Fort King Middle School student who the teacher spit on contacted Channel 9's Myrt Price after she said the school ignored her complaints.
"She raspberried me in the face," student Imani Green told Price.
"What's raspberried?" Price asked the girl.
"She spit, like that," the girl said.
Imani, 13, said she couldn't believe it when physical education teacher Colleen Cozzetto spit in her face.
"I walked away but it really hurt me because she did it in front of all my friends," Imani said.
Imani said Cozzetto became upset when she discovered Imani wasn't wearing the proper uniform for her class.
Imani said as Cozzetto talked to her Cozzetto accidentally spit on her.
Imani said she asked the Cozzetto to stop. She said Cozzetto told her, "You want to see what it feels like to be spit on," and then laughed.
Imani's mother, Trenieshia Farmer, said that when she heard what happened she was shocked.
"I said, 'There is absolutely no way an adult teacher spit on you,'" Farmer said.
Farmer said she was outraged and reached out to
"Had it been my child spitting on another student or a teacher, there wouldn't have been any question about expelling her or arresting her," said Farmer.
The district eventually did an investigation and determined the incident happened.
District officials said Cozzetto was counseled and a letter of reprimand was put in her file.
Farmer doesn't think that was punishment enough.
"What she did was a criminal offense," Farmer said. "She doesn't need to be in a classroom with students."
Farmer said she is in the process of pursuing criminal charges in the incident.
The mother of the Fort King Middle School student who the teacher spit on contacted Channel 9's Myrt Price after she said the school ignored her complaints.
"She raspberried me in the face," student Imani Green told Price.
"What's raspberried?" Price asked the girl.
"She spit, like that," the girl said.
Imani, 13, said she couldn't believe it when physical education teacher Colleen Cozzetto spit in her face.
"I walked away but it really hurt me because she did it in front of all my friends," Imani said.
Imani said Cozzetto became upset when she discovered Imani wasn't wearing the proper uniform for her class.
Imani said as Cozzetto talked to her Cozzetto accidentally spit on her.
Imani said she asked the Cozzetto to stop. She said Cozzetto told her, "You want to see what it feels like to be spit on," and then laughed.
Imani's mother, Trenieshia Farmer, said that when she heard what happened she was shocked.
"I said, 'There is absolutely no way an adult teacher spit on you,'" Farmer said.
Farmer said she was outraged and reached out to
"Had it been my child spitting on another student or a teacher, there wouldn't have been any question about expelling her or arresting her," said Farmer.
The district eventually did an investigation and determined the incident happened.
District officials said Cozzetto was counseled and a letter of reprimand was put in her file.
Farmer doesn't think that was punishment enough.
"What she did was a criminal offense," Farmer said. "She doesn't need to be in a classroom with students."
Farmer said she is in the process of pursuing criminal charges in the incident.
WFTV
