A video posted by the Canton Repository of a Canton teacher apparently bodyslamming a student to the ground is now making a national splash.
News 5 learned the McKinley High School teacher, Ken Weatherbee, is currently on paid leave.
The video is only a few seconds long.
You can see two adults step into a classroom. There's a student in the black sweatshirt and backpack with his back facing the camera, who turns to face someone out of frame.
That someone? Teacher Ken Weatherbee. Weatherbee walks into frame and quickly afterward, takes the student to the ground.
News 5 does not know what led up to the incident, why those two men were entering the room, or what was going through this teacher's mind when he chose to tackle a student because the superintendent and teacher would not tell us.
The superintendent of Canton City Schools, Adrian E. Allison, released this statement:
The incident on the video happened Monday, December 4. The teacher, Ken Weatherbee, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending investigation. The teacher’s behavior on this video is disturbing and unprofessional and is not in accordance with the standards of our district and the teaching profession.
The teacher is entitled to and will receive due process. However, the district will exercise all of its legal authority to ensure that he faces the most severe discipline possible.
News 5 looked into the teacher, Ken Weatherbee's, past.
He's a certified "intervention specialist" and it's not the first time he's faced any kind of suspension.
We actually had a file on him from a past News 5 investigation on Ohio teachers.
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In 2014, Weatherbee was convicted on a misdemeanor count of domestic violence.
He didn't have to serve jail time, but his educator's license in Ohio was suspended for 60 days and he had to complete 40 hours of community service as part of a consent agreement with the Ohio Board of Education.
News 5 reached Ken Weatherbee on the phone Wednesday in an attempt to get his side of the story. Weatherbee said he does not think either side should comment during the active investigation.
