Jason Lowell Rogers, 49, a former teacher at Underwood High School, was recently granted a stay of execution by a Minnesota court on child abuse charges.

Under state law, this means the defendant pleads guilty, but the judge does not formally accept the plea or record a conviction. Instead, the defendant is placed on probation, and if all conditions are met, the case will be dismissed.

Rogers was sentenced to two years of probation, over 2,000 USD in fines, 90 hours of community service, and ordered to write apology letters to each victim. During this period, he must surrender his teaching license, effectively banning him from the profession.

According to court documents, the incident occurred in 2/2025 during an emergency drill held at the school.

According to the complaint from a victim, a student in Rogers' 6th-grade class, he was lying face down on the floor when Rogers stepped on his back with both feet for about 10 seconds.

The victim stated he screamed and began crying, his entire back aching, and he thought his back was broken.

According to the student's account, the teacher did not say a word or give any warning before stepping on him, and it was as if the teacher had treated him "like a footstool".

Law enforcement questioned Rogers the next day.

The teacher explained the punishment was because he felt the children "were not taking the drill seriously". Rogers later admitted to stepping on two other students.

The students were not reported to have serious injuries.

By Hai Thu (Source: People, Law and Crime)