Woman arrested after slapping middle schooler during Lake Oswego career day
By Drew Marine
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LAKE OSWEGO, Oregon (KPTV) — Even Lake Oswego police were stunned by this case.
“It’s shocking,” said Tom Harper, spokesperson for the Lake Oswego Police Department.
On Friday, Lakeridge Middle School was hosting a career day where parents and other community members could teach students about different jobs they can pursue one day.
Police said one of the presenters was 43-year-old Ellen Sawo. She was talking to a class when police say she got upset with the students, started swearing at them and at one point slapped a student in the face.
Luckily the student is okay and the school reported the incident to police.
“The day is supposed to be a day about learning about different careers and getting kids excited about what possibilities there are for them in the future, but unfortunately this is probably a day they won’t forget for a while for unfortunate reasons,” Harper said.
Sawo was escorted from the school before police arrived, but she was later arrested for harassment and taken to the Clackamas County Jail.
“I’ve worked in Lake Oswego for almost 25 years and I’m not familiar with this kind of thing happening there,” Harper said.
Lakeridge Principal Dr. Kurt Schultz sent this message to families:
“One of today’s career day presentations took an unexpected turn that was not consistent with our directions to speakers, the spirit and purpose of career day, nor allowable here at school. We wanted to make sure you were aware of what occurred and how we are addressing the situation.
“During the first career day presentation of the morning for your child’s class, the guest speaker was heard using profane language and made aggressive physical contact with a student, both of which are unacceptable for the classroom and our learning community. The speaker’s presentation was cut short, and they were escorted off campus. The speaker’s inappropriate behavior was reported to the Lake Oswego Police Department who are conducting further follow up.
“Once the speaker had been removed, both the 7th grade counselor, Ms. Watts, and I visited the class to address the situation with students and to make ourselves available to kids should they want to talk more about the experience.
“I am sorry that your child experienced this on what should be an exciting and enriching day for students. The subsequent six presentations for your child’s advisory class went smoothly. We are proud of the mature way students conducted themselves throughout the day. Should you or your child have questions about this incident or wish to talk further, please reach out to me directly at 503-534-2344.”
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