Utah teacher facing discipline for making Catholic student remove Ash Wednesday mark

An elementary school teacher in Utah is facing disciplinary action after forcing a student to remove the cross mark on his forehead commemorating Ash Wednesday.

William McLeod, a fourth-grader at Valley View Elementary in Bountiful, Utah, said he was confronted by a teacher on Wednesday, Fox 13 News reported.

McLeod said he tried to explain to his teacher the significance of the cross made of ashes on his forehead, marking the first day of Lent for his fellow Catholics.

{mosads}“She took me aside and she said, ‘You have to take it off,’” William described. “She gave me a disinfection wipe — whatever they are called — and she made me wipe it off.”

The Davis School District apologized for the incident and said it is conducting an investigation. The teacher, who remind unnamed, could face disciplinary action, according to the news outlet.

“Why that even came up, I have no idea,” said Chris Williams a spokesperson for the district. “When a student comes in to school with ashes on their forehead, it’s not something we say ‘Please take off.'”

McLeod’s grandmother, Karen Fisher, told Fox 13 that she spoke with the teacher over the phone.

“I asked her if she read the Constitution with the First Amendment, and she said, no,” Fisher said.

McLeod said he received a handwritten apology and candy from the teacher after the incident.

“I hope it helps somebody and I hope it never happens again,” Fisher said. “I don’t think it will.”