Zaandam teacher suspended after corporal punishment complaints

A teacher at primary school De Voorzaan in Zaandam was suspended after complaints from ten concerned parents about corporal punishments used in her classroom. The woman teaches group 3 at the school, the class typically consisting of children between the ages of 5 and 7 years.

According to the concerned parents, children are belittled and physically hit with a stick in her class, NH Nieuws reports. They are sometimes also forced to eat their lunch off the ground. 

"We are really shocked by these complaints", Brigit Schumacher of educational organization Zaan Primair said to NH Nieuws. "We immediately decided to hire an external research agency to investigate whether this is indeed true."

Everyone involved has already been interviewed and the results of the investigation are expected around mid-November, according to the school.​ Once the results are known, the school will also announce further steps "to guarantee peace and safety again".