OCALA, Fla. – A teacher at North Marion High School has been suspended for three days without pay for allegedly touching a female student on the head with a banana during a discussion of “cylinder objects, phalluses and/or sex symbols.”

Teacher Jonathon Hampton was teaching an advanced, college-level course when he reportedly “rubbed the student’s head and neck area with a banana,” according to a report from the Daily Caller. The student’s parents complained about the incident May 6, about three months after it occurred.

A school district official said Hampton was suspended for making “inappropriate use of the banana,” according to the news report.

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Hampton’s attorney was quoted as saying that the teacher did not recall the incident, but if it occurred it would have been “to get (students’) attention.”

Other students have reportedly complained over time about Hampton’s behavior in the classroom, the news report said. Given that fact, and the bizarre use of the banana during a discussion of human sexuality, we would hope the district would probe deeper into this man’s history and teaching techniques.

School districts across the nation have been plagued with allegations of teachers sexually abusing students in recent years. That means school administrators should be on the lookout for signs of teachers who attempt to use students to play out their sexual fantasies.

The banana incident, in and of itself, should be closely scrutinized to determine if it’s a firing offense. But even if that’s not the case, the incident should serve as a warning to North Marion school officials that they may have a strange character on their hands, and they would be wise to do a full investigation of all past student complaints.

Due diligence is absolutely necessary when student safety is an issue. We certainly hope the banana incident was isolated, but school officials had better be sure of that before they allow Hampton back into the building.

If such an investigation takes more than three days, so be it.