Log In


Reset Password
News Education Local News Nation & World New Mexico

Grandfather upset about handling of alleged assault

Ignacio gym teacher accused of being rough with student

The 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is evaluating the case of an Ignacio High School gym teacher who is accused of physically assaulting one of his 15-year-old students Tuesday.

The student’s grandfather, Kenny Frost, shared the story with The Durango Herald because he is concerned about how the incident has been handled by school administrators, who called police after Frost asked whether law enforcement was going to be contacted.

“They didn’t take it seriously,” Frost said.

District Attorney Todd Risberg said Friday his office is evaluating the complaint.

The Ignacio Police Department is also investigating the case, but the department cannot release any details, Sgt. Wes Crumb said.

Frost said his grandson Seranden Frost was in gym class when his teacher Harris Murphy asked him to take off his hooded sweatshirt. When Seranden didn’t do it fast enough, Murphy is accused of pulling the neck of the sweatshirt hard, trying to pull it off, Kenny Frost said.

Seranden then told the teacher he was going to the office. But Murphy followed him and tried to take the hoodie off, Kenny Frost said. Then, Murphy alledgedly tried to throw Seranden down on the floor four times before succeeding, Kenny Frost said.

That’s when another student came and pulled Murphy off Seranden.

After the school’s administration was alerted about the alleged assault, the school principal allowed Murphy to leave the school, Frost said.

After the incident, Kenny Frost was called to the school to meet with members of the administration, including Superintendent Rocco Fuschetto, he said.

Kenny Frost asked why the police had not been called.

“An assault on a child had occurred in their school system and that’s totally wrong,” he said.

After Frost asked about contacting law enforcement, police were called to the school to interview those involved.

Fuschetto declined to comment about the incident because it is a personnel matter. It was not known Friday if Murphy had been placed on leave.

“We are handling it the way we are supposed to, according to the law,” he said Thursday.

After Frost met with school administration, he also contacted the Southern Ute Tribal Council and the Southern Ute Education Department. But neither group wanted to get involved because Seranden is a Ute Mountain Ute tribal member, not a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.

“Their attitude was, they didn’t really care and no action from Southern Ute Tribal Council will happen,” Frost said.

If Seranden was a Southern Ute tribal member, Frost said, the tribal council likely would have put pressure on the school district.

Frost said he contacted the Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart for legal support in the case, and Frost was told that the legal team would look into it.

Frost, who formerly served as the head of the Southern Ute Education Department, said he wants the department to advocate on behalf of all Native American students.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

Dec 17, 2015
Ignacio teacher involved in scuffle with student is reinstated, but put on paid leave


Reader Comments