Bellevue, MO

An English teacher at Bellevue South High School is on administrative leave following a parent complaint after assigning a poem without first providing students with a trigger warning about graphic sexual references.

The parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said her son was traumatized by reading the author's name and hearing it spoken aloud in class. "These kids shouldn't be hearing these words in class," she said. The parent also claims the teacher emphasized the explicit word in the poet's last name by pronouncing it with a hard D. She also claims the teacher pronounced all three syllables slowly and deliberately while making aggressive eye contact with her son.

When asked for comment, Principal Duntz said, "We will do everything we can to make sure this teacher is punished to the fullest extent of the law. We want parents to know that we'll punish any teacher to make sure they're happy."

The teacher in question was not invited to comment.