A teacher at a Zephyrhills high school in Florida is accused of using the plastic dog collars as a form of punishment. Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp nicknamed the collar “The Cone of Shame,” inspired by the Disney movie Up, according to local media reports.
The teacher used the dog cones to curb bad behavior for eight kids in the month of April, WTSP writes.
“Cutkomp, 47, is now on unpaid suspension and has requested a special hearing to be reinstated. She has not made any statements and has retained legal counsel from an attorney in Clearwater,” WTSP adds.
Photos of students wearing the cone went viral on social media outlets such as Facebook, causing outrage among parents. Pasco County schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino wrote in a letter to Cutkomp, a teacher since 1999: “I am stunned that you would put dog collars on students for any reason. I am very concerned that you used this collar to punish and embarrass students in front of their peers.”
Fiorentino has recommended firing the teacher. Cutkomp has yet to release a statement on the incidents.
