Mark Bejot, Maywood Public Schools Superintendent assaults 12 year old student for refusing to remove cowboy hat in class as he now faces felony child abuse and now suspended.
A Nebraska school superintendent accused of assaulting a middle school student after demanding the boy remove a cowboy hat he was wearing has been suspended amid charges of felony intentional child abuse.
Mark Bejot, superintendent of Maywood Public Schools, is alleged to have become embroiled in a ‘heated discussion,’ on October 1 with a 12-year-old student over a cowboy hat the boy was wearing in class, according to court documents.
The Frontier County Sheriff’s Office said Bejot, 64, told the student to remove the hat because wearing it was against school policy.
Captured surveillance tape showed the boy taking off the ‘offensive item’ and holding it at his side, wit the two continuing to talk only for Bejot to then ‘leap for the hat.’
Video shows the two fighting over the hat before Bejot grabs the student by the armpits and pulls him off a stool according to an arrest affidavit cited by KLKNTV.
The student falls to the ground, with the superintendent in turn holding the 12 year old down until Bejot could grab the cowboy hat.
Bejot told investigators that he grabbed the student to try to stop him from falling off the stool. Do you suppose?
Bejot then took the cowboy hat to his office and returned it to the student at the end of the school day. The student reported sustaining a cut or scratch from the incident.
Bejot who has served as superintendent of Maywood Public Schools since 2020, is set to appear in court Nov. 1. If convicted, Bejot faces a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Bejot has since been placed on paid administrative leave according to a release from the Maywood Board of Education on Wednesday.
Frontier County Sheriff, Michael Jordan, said that the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office at 308-367-4411.
Notes a bio from Maywood Public Schools in part:
‘I enjoy fishing and hunting when time permits. Meeting friendly neighbors, towns’ people and farm and ranch families is fun. Watching Nebraska and Kansas State University sports is also a hobby, whether football, volleyball, basketball or baseball. Finally, I am a lifelong learner and enjoy reading various educational and history books. I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of you!’