A pre-K teacher at Oakes Elementary School in Okemah, Okla., allegedly forced a left-handed 4-year-old boy to write with his right hand and sent an article home with him that branded left-handedness "unlucky," "evil" and "sinister." KFOR-TV video screenshot

OKEMEH, Okla., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma mom said her 4-year-old son's pre-K teacher forced him to write with his right hand and sent home an article calling left-handedness "evil."

Alisha Sands said her 4-year-old son, Zayde, started pre-K recently at Oakes Elementary in Okemah and she noticed last week while he was doing homework that he was using his right hand despite being left-handed.


"I just asked 'Is there anything his teachers ever asked about his hands?' And he raises this one and says this one's bad," Sands told KFOR-TV.

Sands said she sent a note to school with Zayde and the teacher's response was to send home an article that said left-handedness is "unlucky," "evil" and "sinister."

"For example, the devil is often portrayed as left-handed," the article said.

Sands said the teacher's response shocked her.

"It breaks my heart for him because someone actually believes that, believes my child is evil because he's left handed, it's crazy," Sands said.

The mother said she contacted the superintendent with the article, but there was no action taken. "There was no suspension of any kind. There was basically nothing done to this teacher," Sands said. "She told them she thought I needed literature on it."

Sands said she is trying to get Zayde transferred to another class.

"I don't feel like the school did what they were supposed to for him," Sands said.

The principal at Oakes Elementary said officials are investigating the matter and declined to comment further.

Left-handedness, while not a trait unique to humans, has been linked to conditions that some might consider "unlucky" -- studies in recent years have suggested left-handed women are at an increased risk for breast cancer and adults who are left-handed may be more prone to mental illness. A study from December of last year indicated left-handed people in the U.S. workforce make up to 12 percent less money than their right-handed colleagues.