YAKIMA, Wash. -- "Appropriate action" has been taken against the Apple Valley School teacher who sent her 5-year-old student home with a bag of feces, school officials said.

Peter Ansingh, superintendent of West Valley Schools, however, refused to elaborate on just what that entails for kindergarten teacher Sue Graham.

"I'm not able to share that with you," he said. "This is a veteran teacher who's done a lot of work for us for 30 years."

Ansingh's answer proved to be less than satisfactory to the boy's dad, who only wished to be identified as "Jason."

"Something this severe warrants a little more than a slap on the wrist or reprimand," he said.

Jason said his son's teacher, Mrs. Graham, called last Friday and said her classroom was "stinky." She asked if the boy could have had an accident.

Jason acknowledged the possibility, as his son had had a couple of accidents in the classroom in the past. Jason said his son is completely potty-trained, but hasn't quite mastered cleaning himself properly.

Jason told Mrs. Graham there were extra clothes in his son's backpack. He never imagined the teacher would send his son home with evidence of his accident.

He said his son's teacher had bagged up a piece of human feces and stuck it in his son's backpack. His wife found the stinky mess.

"She found a clear plastic bag with a piece of fecal matter wrapped up in a brown paper towel with the note on it," he said.

The note read, "This little turd was on the floor in my room."

The superintendent said disciplinary action for his employees could range from a verbal reprimand to suspension or termination, depending on the weight of the situation.

It does not appear Graham was terminated or suspended, however, as she was still teaching this week. School officials refused to elaborate any further and appeared ready for the whole thing to blow over.

"We've all learned from this. And an incident like this, I hope, will never occur again," said Ansingh.

The boy's family parents say they'd welcome an apology from the teacher, and said they're happy with the district's decision to move their son out of her classroom.

The parents said their son will attend another elementary school in the district for the rest of this year, then return to Apple Valley next year.

Sue Graham has not responded to requests for an interview.