Mother says Ohio teacher wrote 'loser' on her son

COLUMBUS (AP) — The lawyer for a suspended Ohio teacher says the woman was just joking with a second-grade student when she wrote the word “loser” on the boy’s arm.

Amy Butterfield faces a disciplinary hearing Friday and has been on paid leave from a Columbus elementary school since April 1.

The child’s mother said the incident occurred earlier that week.

Butterfield’s attorney, Robert Washburn, says his client made an unfortunate error in judgment. He says she had a good relationship with the boy and that they liked to kid around.

Washburn says the student joked that he wanted to write “loser” on Butterfield, but she did it to him instead, in orange washable marker on a small area of his arm.

A schools spokeswoman won’t say how Butterfield could be disciplined.