An elementary teacher who allegedly cut the tongue of one of her pupils will be sacked, Education Minister Giuseppe Fioroni promised on Tuesday.
"Zero tolerance is the only response to such unacceptable behavior. Hundreds of thousands of serious teachers do not merit being discredited by the actions of a few," the minister added.
The incident took place a week ago in a second grade classroom in Milan and involved a seven-year-old boy, the son of Tunisian immigrants, and a 22-year-old substitute and first-time teacher.
According to a police report, the teacher has admitted cutting the child's tongue but said it was an accident.
The teacher said she had "jokingly" threatened to cut the "unruly" child's tongue and was mimicking the action with a pair of scissors when the pupil made an unexpected move and cut his tongue on the scissors.
The child was rushed to hospital where he received five stitches to close the wound. Doctors said the injury will take 10 days to heal and during this time he can have only liquid nourishment.
The teacher has been suspended and charged with assault, while the child's parents have threatened to sue her and the school for moral and material damages.
A lawyer for the family said the child told him that after the incident the teacher tried to convince the boy not to tell his mother exactly what happened.
He added that the child has been in shock since the incident and refuses to return to school. Because of this the mother has been forced to leave her job as a cafeteria worker.
