Mother reports teacher's assault on her son at secondary school in Havana

A mother reported the abuse suffered by her 14-year-old son at the hands of a teacher, who has beaten him several times at a secondary school in the municipality of Regla, Havana.

Katysleydys Izquierdo has been posting on social media since Tuesday to denounce the physical assault by a Labor Education teacher at the Julio Antonio Mella Basic Secondary School against the child, who is a student at that institution.

According to what she said in a Facebook video, she was called by her son's teacher because "he had done something." When she arrived at the school, the child informed her that the teacher hit him. "I asked the other children in the classroom, and they told me that the teacher hit him and that it has happened on several occasions," the mother revealed.

"I can't understand how a teacher, a tall man, can punch or bruise a 14-year-old minor, or shake him, or do whatever he wants," she said indignantly, and explained that the teacher had punched her son in the arm, and "on several occasions has hit him."

Before making the reports on social media, the mother went to Police Unit number 13 in Regla to make a formal accusation, but her attempt was in vain. The officers did not take the report, claiming it was not valid because there were no injuries.

"That's why we are in this situation, the police station says it's not valid because there are no injuries," she questioned.

Izquierdo also appeared at the offices of the Municipal Education Directorate, where he was informed that "they were going to evaluate, to see what had happened," according to his words.

"Nothing happens, it's something that doesn't happen in this country," she stated, while wondering if she would have to assault the teacher "so that there are injuries and, then, my son's case would proceed."

“We're done...,” lamented the mother, who, furious about the abuse against her son, addressed the teacher - "if you're watching my video," she said - and with insulting words challenged him to come to her house and hit her.

Izquierdo stated in another post that he would not wait more than five days for a response regarding the case, and expressed his hope that the professor would be expelled "for hitting and threatening a minor."

As of the time of publishing this note, the Cuban mother had not provided further details about the case.

In May of this year, there was outrage among Cubans over the beating that a teacher gave to a five-year-old boy with a toy machete, causing injuries to a lung that required specialized medical attention in a hospital in Sancti Spíritus.

Only after the family reported the case to the Ministry of Education in Havana did the General Directorate of Education in Yaguajay, the municipality where the assault occurred, initiate an investigation and sanction the teacher with a transfer to another position under different working conditions for a period of one year.