Parents say teacher hit son in head with hammer

Tim Bitanga says a teacher hit his son with a hammer. Screenshot KITV

A teacher in Kailua, Hawaii, has been placed on administrative leave after a teenage boy’s parents accused the teacher of hitting their son in the head with a hammer.

The alleged incident took place at the Kailua High School, in a wood shop class, according to KITV.

Tim Bitanga told a reporter when he first found out his son had sustained a head injury in wood shop, he immediately thought the “kids had been clowning around in the classroom.”

But when the Bitangas learned that the head injury that caused their son to receive four staples was possibly caused by the teacher, their shock turned to anger.

Bitanga was quoted as saying, “I was definitely pissed off like most parents would be, to find out it was a teacher that had done it. You wouldn’t expect that to happen in the high school setting.”

The Bitangas were also upset that there son was kept in the nurse’s office for hours instead of sent to the hospital, saying, “This was a head injury, there was blood all over the place. I would have liked to see an ambulance involved.”

Bitanga added that he “thank[ed] God” his son wasn’t more seriously hurt, and that he could have been “going to a funeral instead of a graduation this year.” The Bitangas have filed a police report against the teacher.

The principal of the high school is reportedly investigating the incident and what happened in the classroom that day.