Report faults teacher’s actions

EVERETT — A Cascade High School teacher said he was just joking around when he grabbed a student by the neck in the locker room the day before Christmas break.

Jake Huizinga, a physical education teacher and the school’s former football coach, told officials he wasn’t angry with the boy and wasn’t out to hurt him.

“I was not mad; it was done in fun,” he said Monday.

An Everett School District investigation found there was more to the story. The Herald obtained the documents on Friday. They offer the first public confirmation that the student was choked.

“I have determined that you did indeed grab the student by his throat in a manner that left visible marks and that you did so because he had not turned in his football gear,” Cascade High School Principal Cathy Woods wrote in her investigation report.

According to the report, Huizinga yelled, “Where’s my gear?” as he held the student by the throat. The student later told officials he was scared, upset, mad and embarrassed.

Huizinga was reprimanded for the Dec. 18 incident. The district ordered him to attend five hours of classes focusing on impulse control and anger management. He also was directed to send a written apology to the boy and his family, records show.

A separate Everett police investigation into the misdemeanor assault was turned over to city prosecutors. They decided not to charge Huizinga.

The boy’s parents said the decision was made because their son didn’t want to testify against his former coach. The parents asked that their name not be used to protect their son.

Reached Monday, Huizinga said he was a “fool” and is seeking forgiveness. He said he wants to move on.

“I’m as sorry as I can possibly be,” he said.

Huizinga remained at his teaching job while the school district investigated. That’s because teachers who are the subject of complaints have rights, too, district officials said.

The boy who was choked wasn’t allowed to take a weight-training class, which is taught by Huizinga. As a student athlete, the prohibition seemed like punishment, his parents said.

“The victim’s being reprimanded, not the guy who did it,” the boy’s father said. If the situation were reversed, and the student choked a teacher, the outcome likely would have been much different, the parents said.

“He would have been immediately expelled,” the boy’s mom said.

The parents said school district officials told them teachers in Everett face so-called “progressive punishment.” The district’s letter to Huizinga says he could face harsher sanctions or termination if there are other violations.

Teacher discipline is governed under the district’s contract with the union, said Lynn Evans. She’s in charge of human resources at the district.

While she could not comment on this specific case, she said the district makes sure students in challenging situations are given options for earning credits and achieving academic goals.

“We would find a way to make sure that the student had the same opportunities that they had prior to the incident,” Evans said.

Situations like this are unfortunate, she said.

“We’re also concerned about the opportunity for a teacher to improve and work in the best interest of every single student,” she said.

In a Jan. 13 letter from the school district, Huizinga was told to avoid all physical contact with students other than side hugs or light pats on the back.

“You are further directed that you are never to touch a student for disciplinary reasons or in a manner which might cause the students to feel intimidated,” Woods wrote. “Squeezing a student’s neck or throat is not ever an appropriate action.”

Huizinga asked for forgiveness in a Jan. 15 letter to the student and his family.

“I have played the incident over 100 times in my brain and continue to feel ashamed,” the teacher wrote.

Huizinga added that his actions made him “want to throw up,” and as an adult he “should know better.”

The day before the incident, Huizinga had stepped down as head football coach at the school, a post he held for eight years. Prior to teaching physical education, he also taught history and social studies.

On Monday, Huizinga said he has an otherwise unblemished 29-year teaching career.

The boy’s parents said they remain upset over the handling of the incident. A teacher who attacks students should have to do more than just apologize, they contend.

“To grab a kid like that by the throat, you’d think there’d be more action by the school district,” the boy’s father said.

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.

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