Florida Teacher Suspended for Making Students Wear 'Cone of Shame

Teaching high school students might remind some people of dealing with particularly ill-behaved pets - however, treating them like actual animals generally gets an unfavorable reception. One Florida science teacher, apparently, didn't get the memo on this, and has been subjecting her students to a form of punishment employed on dogs in the Disney/Pixar movie "Up."

That's right, this teacher put students in the "cone of shame." Fox News reports:

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Heather Fiorentino has recommended firing Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp, 47, for putting a dog collar on at least eight of her ninth-grade students during two days last month.

The collar was reportedly the type used to prevent animals from licking their wounds after surgery. "Cone of shame" is a reference to the animated film "Up," which Bailey-Cutkomp had previously shown to students.

Zephyrhills High administrators learned of the allegations after seeing the students' photos on Facebook. Parents tipped off the school.

Some of her students say it was all a joke, in good fun.[...]

"I probably would freak out," Nielsen said. "I really would because she's very sensitive, and I feel that that's very embarrassing and humiliating to a child.

On the one hand, it's fair to note that children probably shouldn't be treated like dogs, even fictional ones. On the other, in the grand scheme of disciplinary measures, this one seems awfully mild, and isn't it rather the point of public punishments that they're supposed to be humiliating?