(May 8, 2008)

SAN DIEGO--A teacher at San Diego's junior high school has been suspended pending an investigation after being accused of telling one student to hit another child in class. The parents of the alleged victim contend a teacher told the student to hit the child. They claim the accused student is the son of the school superintendent.

Just after Kiii News began investigating this story, we found out the teacher in question was suspended with pay.

Glenda Gonzalez said a teacher ordered the son of the superintendent to hit her child at Bernada Jaime Junior High School in San Diego on Tuesday morning. She said Sonia Carrera, a reading teacher, did this because her 12-year-old son, Travis Gonzalez, was acting up in class.

"The parents entrust the teachers to provide a safe environment for our children and she just allowed it to happen and I'm very angry," said Gonzalez. 

After the incident occurred in the second period class, the child, Travis Gonzalez,  asked an administrator if he could call his mother to tell her what happened, but his family says he was told he could not.  Glenda Gonzalez says she didn't know about the alleged incident until six hours later when he got out of school around 3:30 pm.  

Gonzalez said her son suffers from attention deficit hyper disorder and has had some problems this year with talking in class. She says she has spoken to the teachers about his condition and advised them to call her if they had any problems

Gonzalez said Carrera is the wife of the district's athletic director. She alleges that Carrera told the son of  Superintendent Luis Pizzini to do hit her son.

"I believe that the teacher used that student knowing of his dad's position and she used and felt nothing was going to be done to her," Gonzalez said. 

We questioned the school superintendent about reported incident. Pizzini refused to comment on camera, but he did say the teacher has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation.

Pizzini released this statement:  "The situation is pending investigation. We are not drawing any conclusions at this time. The district has taken the precaution of separating the teacher from the students."

Gonzalez has filed a police report.

"I just want for the right thing to be done and it's my opinion that she be terminated," Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez plans to go to the school board meeting later this month to state her case.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com