INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis mother said her son was punched in the mouth twice by his high school gym teacher.
Don Carlisle is also the head varsity coach of the state champion Ben Davis High School boys' basketball team.
M.S.D. of Wayne Township said Carlisle was placed on leave following a report of an assault by the physical education teacher on a 15-year-old 11th grade student on Sept. 6. A police report filed on Sept. 7 says the incident happened around 1:30 p.m. The district clarified in a statement to 13News that while the police report was made a day after the alleged assault, "a staff member appropriately made to the Indiana Department of Child Services on September 6 to alert authorities as required by law."
The student's mother, who did not want to be identified, told 13News that her son was changing shoes for gym class in the bleachers when Carlisle confronted him about not using the dressing room. She said Carlisle threw the boy's slider shoe across the gym floor. The boy allegedly told Carlisle that the teacher should go get it.
The mother said Carlisle then punched the boy in the mouth and pushed him up against the bleachers. She said her son grabbed Carlisle's necklace, defending himself. The mother said Carlisle then pushed the boy to the ground and punched him in the mouth again.
M.S.D. of Wayne Township Schools issued the following statement:
"The safety and well-being of students and employees is a top priority, and we take misconduct allegations very seriously. Upon learning of this allegation, we immediately reported it to the Indiana Department of Child Services. We are fully cooperating with authorities throughout their investigation and will continue to do so.
The employee in question is on leave during the investigation. We respect the right to privacy and due process of everyone involved and will refrain from further comment at this time.”
Back in March, Carlisle led the Ben Davis Giants to a perfect 33-0 season and a state championship win over Kokomo. This summer, Carlisle was selected for the honor of coaching the Indiana boys' All-Star team against Kentucky. This winter would be his sixth year as the varsity coach at his alma mater.
He played college basketball at IUPUI and also played professionally.
13News contacted Carlisle by voicemail, text, email and multiple social media platforms for comment. Carlisle did not reply.
The mother said the incident happened in front of other students and perhaps teachers as well. She believes the school has surveillance video of the incident.
(Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to clarify that a staff member from M.S.D. of Wayne Township notified DCS of the alleged assault on the day it occurred, according to a district spokesperson.)