Teacher bites student during "wedgie" attack

Salem, Oregon- A former Woodburn coach has gotten a state reprimand for biting the thigh of one of half a dozen wrestlers who tried to give him a wedgie.p>At a December 2005 practice, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission said, team members tried to give Peter Porath a wedgie mdash; jerking his undershorts upward.p>quot;At least six wrestlers, weighing between 180 and 215 pounds each, came up to Mr. Porath from behind in an attempt to give him a lsquo;wedgie.rsquo; In the process of getting the boys off of him, Mr. Porath bit the inside of a wrestler's leg, leaving distinct teeth marks,quot; the commission said.p>The commission called that quot;gross neglect of duty.quot; It put him on probation for two years and said Porath must complete a class on appropriate behavior and write a public apology to the student he bit.p>Porath was then the assistant wrestling coach. He teaches high school social studies at Woodburn. He no longer coaches wrestling but does coach baseball, said Woodburn Superintendent Walt Blomberg.p>Blomberg said the wrestlers were disciplined by the wrestling coach but did not receive academic penalties such as suspension.p>p>quot;You can't place all the blame on the teacher. He characterized it as an attack,quot; Blomberg said.p>The student and his family did not pursue a complaint, but the district felt obligated to report the incident to the state, Blomberg said. The district also reprimanded Porath./>