Teacher charged with malicious punishment for stepping on student

UNDERWOOD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A sixth-grade teacher in the Underwood School District in Otter Tail County has been charged with malicious punishment after police say he stepped on a student's back during a lock-down drill.

Otter Tail County teacher charged with malicious punishment

What we know:

Jason Rogers, 48, of Underwood, is charged with malicious punishment of a child after a student alleges he "stepped on his back with both feet" for around 10 seconds during the drill.

According to charges filed on March 11, Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to Lake Region Hospital for a report of an assault at the Underwood School on Feb. 10.

At the hospital, a sixth-grade student reported that he was lying on his stomach when Rogers stepped on him. The student alleges that Rogers weighs between 300 and 400 pounds, causing him to say "ow" when his "entire back" started hurting afterward.

The student claims he was stepped on like a "stepping stool" and that the entire class saw the act.

Teacher response to student accusations

Dig deeper:

When detectives went to the school to speak with Rogers following the accusations, he told them that he had his students practice a lock-down drill the day prior, during which they were to line up against a wall, then sit down.

Rogers says that when two students decided to lay on their stomachs next to the door, he told them that he "could step on them in their current position." 

Charges say that Rogers told investigators he "didn't feel the class wasn’t taking the drill seriously" when he then placed his foot onto the lower back of the student and stepped on him.

After he heard a groaning sound, and the student said "ouch," he then asked if he was OK, charges state.

Rogers told investigators he hoped he didn’t hurt the student, admitting he weighed "more than 350 pounds" and that he couldn't remember if he used one foot or two. Rogers also admitted to stepping on two other students.

The victim’s mother has since told authorities her son "was walking around like an 80-year-old from the pain in his back."

What we don't know:

The student told authorities he did not know why Rogers stepped on him, and that he didn’t hear Rogers say anything prior to it happening.

What's next:

A statement provided by Underwood Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Wilson tells FOX 9 that Rogers is currently on paid administrative leave from his position as a sixth-grade teacher within the district.

Rogers has a court hearing currently scheduled for April 8.