WIND GAP, Pa. – A teacher who placed an “I Abuse Animals” sign around an autistic student’s neck will keep his job after a court panel upheld a 53-day suspension imposed by an arbitrator in the case.

Northamption County Judge Jennifer R. Sletvold upheld an arbitrator’s opinion that Colonial Academy teacher Bruce Millheim’s suspension, and requirement to complete an “improvement plan,” was an adequate punishment, and denied the school district’s move to terminate the teacher, PennLive.com reports.

“In light of the conditions imposed by the arbitrator, which address employer’s concerns in this case, (the) arbitrator’s award does not pose an unacceptable risk to any well-defined or dominant school law or policy,” the judge wrote.

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The case stems from a class field trip in October 2011 to a local petting zoo and corn maze, where an autistic student repeatedly lured a goat with food to bop the animal on the nose, according to the news site.

“When Millheim heard of the incident, he draped the ‘I Abuse Animals’ sign around the boy’s neck, and texted a photo of the boy wearing the sign to another teacher,” Penn Live reports. “When the student became upset and apologized for hitting the goat, the other teacher and another staffer calmed him, changed the sign to read ‘I Love Animals,’ and sent the lad back to Millheim’s classroom.”

Millheim, however, put another ‘I Abuse Animals’ sign around the child’s neck, which prompted intervention by school officials.

Millheim was initially put on paid leave, as school officials looked into his classroom conduct, and eventually moved to fire him when they discovered a pattern of cruelty, denigrating students, and using excessive force and punishments, according to the news site.

The charges included calling students “sissy,” “crybaby,” and “chubby butt,” as well as findings that Millheim put students in the corner for days at a time, physically twisted their arms or pushed their heads, and emotionally manipulating students, The Allentown Morning Call reports.

“After the school board terminated Millheim in December 2011 over … student discipline-related issues, Millheim filed a grievance and took his case before an arbitrator” with the help of his teacher’s union, according to the news site.

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“Although the arbitrator found Millheim had acted improperly, she converted his termination into a 53-day suspension without pay.”

That’s when the district appealed the decision to the Northamption County Court, which upheld the arbitrator’s ruling. The arbitrator’s decision reinstated Millheim with back pay, minus the 53 day unpaid suspension.

“Intermediate Unit 20 solicitor John E. Freund said the case is an example of how putting employment decisions in the hands of private arbitrators makes it harder for school districts to hold their teachers accountable,” the Morning Call reports.

“Under collective bargaining agreements, teachers unions give their members the ability to have an independent mediator review discipline and employment decisions by the school districts. Although the districts have the right to challenge an arbitrator’s decision, the courts have found that arbitrators have broad authority to interpret the contracts between teachers and schools.”

“It’s no longer fair to the public to delegate these important decisions to privately contracted arbitrators,” Freund told the news site.