Substitute Teacher Tested Taser in a Chesterfield Elementary School

Chesterfield parents may have been shocked to receive an email Thursday explaining that a substitute teacher at Kehrs Mill Elementary School brought in and tested a stun gun in the classroom.

The letter, sent to all Rockwood School District parents, from Principal Chris Garland stated that charges were not being sought against the female teacher, who used a Taser in a fifth-grade classroom on Wednesday morning.

“While she was in an area of the classroom, away from students, she tested it,” Garland wrote. “A teacher across the hall became aware of the situation and immediately informed the administration.”

The teacher was removed from the classroom and will not be returning to Kehrs Mill Elementary, according to Garland. The safety of students, she added, is the district’s “first priority.”

“Please be assured that at no time was there a threat to the safety of any student or staff member,” she wrote. “Most may have been unaware of the incident at the time since it was handled in a quiet and efficient manner.”

The high-voltage device is more commonly associated with cops than with classrooms, but no one was injured during the incident. The name of the substitute teacher was not released.

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Kelvin McMillan said although no law was broken by the teacher’s possession of the Taser, it did violate the district’s policies.

The Rockwood Human Resources department will continue to investigate the matter and in the meantime, Garland urged parents to reach out to her directly with any questions or concerns. 

A Chesterfield Police spokesman told KMOV that the woman carried the taser for protection and admitting to exercising poor personal judgment with it use.