The father of a 15-year-old girl at Perry Hall High School in Baltimore County, Md., clubbed a teacher at the school with a baseball bat after he showed up at their home, WMAR (ABC affiliate) reports.
No charges have been filed against the teacher, because police inspected text messages sent between him and the student and concluded that the text messages didn’t break any laws. “There’s nothing we’ve seen in the contents that’s criminal,” the station quoted Baltimore County police spokeswoman Elise Armacost as saying.
One officer said dozens of texts “described an emotional relationship that seemed inappropriate for a teacher and a student,” WMAR reported, citing a release from the Baltimore County Police Department. They looked into the matter because the girl’s mother had reported the texts at about 3 AM this morning. Later this morning, the teacher showed up at the girl’s house, and her father answered the door.
When the teacher refused to leave, that’s when the baseball bat came into the picture. Of course, the teacher could file assault charges against the father, and the father could file trespassing charges against the teacher, and that’s where it ends as far as the police are concerned. (No charges have been filed yet.) Where it ends for the school is that everyone needs a little counseling here.
I get it that teachers care about their students, but there comes a point—maybe after the 30th text—when the adult in this scenario should stop the codependence from building any further and call in a few professionals. And dad, a baseball bat?! Let’s take a breath, get your daughter the help she needs, and get ready for summer. School’s almost out!