Staff Report

A teacher employed by Our Lady of Lourdes for more than 40 years was let go Thursday for tying up two kindergarten students with yarn.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati confirmed to The Catholic Telegraph Monday that teacher Charlene Riva was let go after it was discovered that she loosely tied up a pair of kindergarten students with yarn in an effort to teach them to sit still. The students did not suffer any injuries.

Riva had been a teacher for 43 years and had been placed on leave once before for an incident with a student. The nature of that incident was not released.

Riva was placed on administrative leave Wednesday and was fired Thursday. A letter was sent home to parents on May 10 explaining the situation. The text of that letter is included below.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

This past Tuesday, Mrs. Riva used yarn to lightly restrain two students to teach them to sit still. This action is unacceptable and a violation of our Child Protection pollcy and will not be tolerated. No other accusations were submitted. After submitting our investigation to 241-KIDS and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Mrs. Riva will no longer be working at Our Lady of Lourdes.

We are deeply saddened and sorry by this event and what happened to our students. We want all at Our Lady of Lourdes to feel safe, and we are making every effort to make sure you have that confidence and trust.

Sincerely,
Ms. Aimee Ellmaker
Principal

Rev. Davis A. Sunberg
Pastor