Principal on leave after kids eat on floor

CAMDEN, N.J., March 5 (UPI) -- Camden, N.J., school officials said a vice principal has been placed on leave after she allegedly made children eat their lunch while sitting on a gym floor.

Kenneth McIntosh, head of the Camden Education Association, said Sumner Elementary School staff were notified Monday that Vice Principal Theresa Brown has been placed on leave, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.

Angel Cordero, who helped to organize the parents of the affected students, said a fifth-grade class was forced to eat their lunches on the gymnasium floor for two weeks. He said the move was a punishment after one of the students spilled a water-cooler jug while attempting to move it.

He said the children in the class are all Hispanic.

"These kids are ESL (English as a Second Language) kids who came from other countries. They're humble," Cordero said.

Camden school spokesman Bart Leff said the incident is being investigated.