A middle school teacher in Palm Beach County is out of a job after over a dozen students complained of what the school district called “inappropriate interactions" with students in just his first year at the school.
Victor Lopez, a math teacher at Boca Raton Community Middle School, was fired Wednesday after an investigation into the complaints of verbal and physical abuse, NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reported.
A total of 16 students said Lopez gave them nicknames including “four-eyes," "Oompa Loompa" and "Bevis.” Twelve students said Lopez inappropriately made physical contact while eight said he made inappropriate comments.
Lopez told the Palm Beach County School District in an e-mail that the only thing that should be questioned “is my sarcasm.”
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
"The difference this year is that I made the conscious effort to use methods that would make sure students felt safe, cared for and that I created an atmosphere where kids really wanted to learn...with an authentic feel to it,” he wrote, in part.
Lopez began his unpaid suspension Tuesday and his termination is effective October 18th pending an appeal. He was previously suspended from a position at a different middle school after reportedly hitting a student with a yardstick.