Florida Teacher Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp Puts Dog Collar on Students, Faces Dismissal [Report]

A Florida high school teacher faces dismissal after allegedly using a dog color as a disciplinary measure on her students, the Associated Press reported.

Laurie- Bailey Cutkomp, a science teacher at Zephyrhills High, has been accused of using the collar on at least eight of her ninth grade students during class in April.

The incident came to the attention of administrators at the school after other students in the class posted the pictures on Facebook. Parents tipped off the school and now the teacher will face a hearing in front of the school board, the AP reported.

Ms. Bailey-Cutkomp, your actions show extremely poor judgment and concern me for several reasons. I am stunned that you would put dog collars on students for any reason, Pasco County schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino wrote in a letter. 'I am very concerned that you used this collar to punish and embarrass students in front of their peers.'

The type of collar used on the students is identical to those put on dogs after surgery to prevent them from gnawing and licking their cuts during the healing process.

While parents have condemned the teacher's actions, many students have defended her saying it was a joke. One student said even if she did make a mistake, it is unlikely it would happen again, according to the Daily Mail.

Cutkomp has been accused of violating district and state ethics laws, according to the Tampa Bay Times. But she denies the charges made against her. She told the school that some of the students had asked to wear to the collar to see how restricting it was. When other students arrived late to class she explained that she gave them the option to wear the collar or sit on the tardy table.

When Cutkomp learnt that one of the student's mothers has made a comment on Facebook saying the use of the collar was inappropriate, she stopped using them in her class and later admitted that it was probably wrong to have used the collars in the first place, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Cutkomp has been suspended from class until her hearing, which has not been set.