An update was added to the original story, changing the picture quite a bit:
Quote:
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — UPDATE (Wednesday, Sept. 25):
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVC) — Hamilton County Schools is disputing information shared by family members of an East Ridge Elementary kindergartner, calling it "inaccurate."
The family of 5-year-old Nathan spoke with NewsChannel 9 Monday, saying they were contacted by his teacher after he hugged a classmate, and that a report had been filed with DCS. You can hear more of their concerns in the report below.
In a statement released today, the school district says "at no time did school administration punish the child or treat the incident as a discipline issue," and that the family's comments do not capture "the full context of the concerns expressed to them by the school."
Their full statement reads as follows:
"Hamilton County Schools is committed to the safety and well-being of all students. Our school leaders work to serve our families and meet the needs of our diverse learners. This family's characterization of the incident with their child at East Ridge Elementary does not capture the full context of the concerns expressed to them by the school. It was not a hug or kiss that prompted the school to contact the family. Also, at no time did the school administration punish the child or treat the incident as a discipline issue. Moreover, no one at the school sought to label the child as “a sexual predator.”
Hamilton County Schools is bound by student privacy laws that do not allow us to discuss publicly specific details of what happened in the classroom setting with the child. Of course, at the family's direction and with their written approval, the district would be able to provide to interested parties documentation of the issues the school discussed with them.
The staff at East Ridge Elementary always elects to take action that places the concern for the child as their top priority - which is also required by our district policies and state laws. School leaders are only interested in the well-being of this very young child as he grows and learns with his classmates. The faculty and staff will continue to ensure that this child and every child in our care receives an excellent education in a safe, supportive learning environment."
My guess is that the parents panicked and jumped to some unwarranted conclusions.
Why did the parents panic? According to the earlier report:
Quote:
Tim Hensley, a spokesperson for the Hamilton County Department of Education, released this statement:
"School personnel are required to concerns regarding children to the Department of Child Services (DCS). It's up to DCS to determine if those reports are acted on by DCS and what form those actions may take."
My guess is that the school was just playing it safe in terms of compliance with "mandatory reporter" laws by reporting to DCS, even though no disciplinary action was actually taken either by the school or by DCS.
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24 Sep 2019, 7:20 pm
The only reason anyone states as to why the parents were notified is by the parents who claim it's because of the child hugging & kissing others. If the parents really were contacted because of some other issue related to the child, they are lying just to make the skewl look bad & the question is why. I'm confused as to what to believe here 
