Jodi Urich Sayad said her son was pinched in the rear-end by his English teacher at Napavine High School in March.
“He thought it was weird and it was uncomfortable,” is how Urich Sayad said her 17-year-old son described the alleged incident.
Urich Sayad does not want her son’s name released, but she wants to make sure the teacher who victimized him is held accountable.
She doesn’t think the teacher, Peggy Erven, should be allowed to teach.
“Where she touched him is inappropriate and it’s not acceptable,” said Urich Sayad, who learned of the alleged incident in March after her son’s classmates reported the pinching.
Urich Sayad said the district’s superintendent told her the teacher admitted to the pinching and is on leave pending an investigation.
Napavine Superintendent Geoff Parks said he cannot comment on pending investigations.
The teacher, who was willing to have her name reported, said she was advised by her union not to speak about the allegation.
A former student of Erven’s, Colleen Conway, started a Facebook page, “Friends of Peggy Erven,” as a way for the community to show support for Erven.
Conway said she was surprised when more than 250 people “liked” the page, but Conway said that shows how popular the teacher is.
“She had an enormous impact on my life and the lives of most of the other students,” said Conway.
She said if the pinching happened, there is no way it can be considered harassment or sexual in nature.
