Use of low-current shock puts principal under fire

A Gwinnett County elementary school principal is under fire for ordering a student to shock himself with a pen he carried to school that emits a low current.

Esther Adames-Jimenez, principal of Beaver Ridge Elementary School, apparently wanted to teach the student a lesson. So when the boy was summoned into her office to face discipline consequences for bringing the toy to class, she asked the student to turn the pen on himself. The student was not injured.

“Her actions reflect poor judgment,” said Sloan Roach, a spokeswoman for Gwinnett County Public Schools. “It clearly violates our discipline procedures.”

This is not the first time the principal has come under scrutiny for discipline allegations.

In 1999, she was placed on paid administrative leave from East Boston Early Education Center amid allegations that she disciplined a 4-year-old who bit classmates by holding that student down so his victims could bite him back. Adames-Jimenez was reinstated without disciplinary action. However, the mother of the disciplined student filed a civil lawsuit against Adames-Jimenez and the school. The case later was settled for an undisclosed sum.

Last school year, the principal was investigated for mishandling a national standardized test and a state exam. She received a warning from the Professional Standards Commission. In the latest incident, Adames-Jimenez was issued a directive warning her to follow school discipline procedures. Adames-Jimenez, who could not be reached for comment, resigned during the investigation.

The principal will be allowed to stay on at Beaver Ridge through the end of the school year, but she will have someone monitoring her.