Florida teachers forced girl, 7, to clean floor with toothbrush, family says

Two elementary school teachers at Lake Alfred Elementary School have been placed on leave after a student alleged she was forced to scrub a classroom floor with a toothbrush. (Google Street View)

Two Florida elementary school teachers have been placed on leave after a student alleged she was forced to scrub a classroom floor with a toothbrush.

A 7-year-old student in a second grade class at Lake Alfred Elementary School complained to her family about back pain last week before claiming that a teacher made her clean the floors as punishment for talking, Fox 13 reported.

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The girl's father, Kenneth Gamble, told the news station that his daughter was sent from one teacher's classroom to another teacher for punishment.

“Even if she was disrupting the class, I don’t think it was worth going three hours or more scrubbing the floor for talking,” Gamble said. “I don’t appreciate you having my child scrub a floor with a toothbrush. I’m pretty sure she doesn't scrub her own floor with a toothbrush."

The Polk County School District told Fox News in a statement it was "deeply concerned about the allegations," and said it's opened a formal investigation into the alleged incident.

Florida's Department of Children and Families and police are also investigating, according to the district.

"Our schools are required to follow a Code of Student Conduct; it is expected that all disciplinary measures be handled in a manner that is respectful to the student and preserves their dignity," the statement read. "If true, the allegations described at Lake Alfred Elementary are completely unacceptable.”

The district learned of the allegations via a social media post on Sunday and the teachers were placed on administrative leave on Monday.

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