Utah teacher who had student remove Ash Wednesday cross returns to work

The Associated Press

6 years ago

Fourth-grader William McLeod at his home in Bountiful, Utah on April 1, 2018. A teacher in the predominantly Mormon state was placed on administrative leave Thursday, March 7, 2019 after she force ... — Fourth-grader William McLeod at his home in Bountiful, Utah on April 1, 2018. A teacher in the predominantly Mormon state was placed on administrative leave Thursday, March 7, 2019 after she forced McLeod, a Catholic student to wash off the Ash Wednesday cross from his forehead. (Karen Fisher via AP)

BOUNTIFUL, Utah — Officials say a Utah teacher who asked a student to wipe an ash cross from his forehead has returned to work.

KUTV reports that the Davis County School District says fourth-grade teacher Moana Patterson has “returned to the classroom” after she says she gave 9-year-old Catholic student William McLeod a wet wipe earlier this month to clean off the cross, not knowing it was a religious symbol.

The district issued a statement apologizing to the family, saying the district knows and recognizes Ash Wednesday as one of the holiest days of the year in the Catholic faith and that it marks the beginning of Lent.

Patterson was placed on administrative leave following the incident.

The principal of Valley View Elementary School will be working with the district’s Educational Equity Department to provide additional training to educators.