By Ashleigh Costello
EAGnews.org

ATLANTIC CITY – An Atlantic City High School piano teacher who was suspended for throwing a book that hit a student in the head has been reinstated, according to school officials.

The reinstatement was determined by a state arbitrator who ignored the school board’s wish to fire the teacher.

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Christopher Lorge was suspended with pay last February after he threw a textbook at a female student. The student, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries including a laceration, reports the Press of Atlantic City.

Following the incident, school officials started proceedings to have Lorge terminated. Lorge has been a teacher for 10 years in the district.

On Jan. 4, New Jersey Department of Education arbitrator Melissa Biren said Lorge displayed a “serious lack of judgment and disregard for the appropriate standard of care expected of a tenured teacher.”

That obviously means he’s fired, right?

Wrong. Biren declined to rule in favor of termination. Instead she ruled that Lorge be suspended for 120 days and forfeit his contractual salary increment for the year.

Lorge admitted to throwing the paperback book because the student was talking on the telephone and wearing earphones instead of the piano headphones she was required to wear, reports the news site.

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Lorge had previously thrown a box of tissues at the student, nearly missing her. At the time, Lorge allegedly said “next time there will be no almost.”

Apparently this incident wasn’t a first for Lorge, who has thrown objects at other students on more than one occasion. He told school officials he threw objects as a way of getting a student’s attention or joking around.

This is no joking matter. Lorge’s actions were completely unacceptable. Student safety should be the number one priority for public schools, and administrators should be able to remove dangerous teachers from their staffs without outside interference.

In any other profession this would have been a fireable offense. But in New Jersey bad teachers are too frequently forgiven and the students are left to suffer.

Superintendent Donna Haye said Lorge will return to work Tuesday.