Kentucky teacher fired after dragging student with autism down school hallway

UPDATE: Video shows teacher dragging autistic 9-year-old

The Greenup County School District released a statement Monday about an elementary school teacher caught on video dragging an autistic student down the hallway.

In the video, a teacher at Wurtland Elementary School is seen dragging a 9-year-old boy by what appears to be his wrists. At one point, it appears the teacher tries to get the child to walk on his own, but he remains limp and she goes right back to dragging him around the corners of the school.

"My son deserves justice," the boy's mother, Angel Nelson, wrote on Facebook. "The fact that my son is not able to fully verbalize what he went through means that we must fight that much harder for all kids, but especially the kids who cannot speak for themselves."

A source at the Greenup County Courthouse tells WSAZ the teacher is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning on a charge of fourth-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor.

Full story at the link below

UPDATE: Video shows teacher dragging autistic 9-year-old

First reported by wsaz channel 3 on Monday 1/7/19 and then today1/8/19 on nbc nightly news.

I hope this lady gets plenty of jail time out of this. This gives an already not the best reputation of a school district a big black eye.

Absolutely disgusting. I hope that she gets jail time.

I am not a teacher, but I work with young autistic people a lot. They can be big and violent. Though I admit, this kid did not look big, it doesn’t mean he/she isn’t violent. It is a very tough job, and not enough research has been done to properly treat this population, which is growing. I did not see what happened before this event, which may tell a better story.

I have a very good friend with a severely autistic child. They could not control her and sent her to a top school known for treating autistic people. One day she went to visit her daughter and asked why her caretaker (that she loved) had her arm in a cast. Turned out that her daughter actually broke her arm.

There is always more to the story than the video.

I am not a teacher, but I work with young autistic people a lot. They can be big and violent. Though I admit, this kid did not look big, it doesn’t mean he/she isn’t violent. It is a very tough job, and not enough research has been done to properly treat this population, which is growing. I did not see what happened before this event, which may tell a better story.

 

I have a very good friend with a severely autistic child. They could not control her and sent her to a top school known for treating autistic people. One day she went to visit her daughter and asked why her caretaker (that she loved) had her arm in a cast. Turned out that her daughter actually broke her arm.

Thanks for all that.

I don't believe Teachers should have to go hands on like that. Schools need their own, trained, non-law enforcement staff to handle all the special needs children.

Thanks for all that.

 

I don't believe Teachers should have to go hands on like that. Schools need their own, trained, non-law enforcement staff to handle all the special needs children.

Couldn’t agree more. In mental health, the first rule is to remove the stimulus. My guess is that this underpaid person was doing the right thing the best she could. There is so much more education needed, and our schools need so much more money/training to handle it.

Thanks for all that.

 

I don't believe Teachers should have to go hands on like that. Schools need their own, trained, non-law enforcement staff to handle all the special needs children.

And....while I am on the subject. I cannot tell you how many obnoxious 18 year old children who walk into an adult psyc ward who say “ You can’t make me do anything.” They find out quite quickly, that we actually can, and do enforce the rules. Makes we wonder daily, why someone, somewhere did not introduce this idea at some point in their lives.

I grow very weary of parents who chose to defend/sue over/ or who don’t care about their children’s problems. As a kid, if my parents saw that video (not that there was video), they would have grounded me because they would have been sure I deserved it.

I don’t know all the facts here, but the fire first ask questions later process is concerning. This child, as well, may have been a danger to other students...what about them?

Dr. Phil says "it doesn't matter how flat you make a pancake, it always has two sides."

I'd be curious what the district's Restraint & Seclusion policy is.

There was another situation somewhat similar to this in Lincoln Co. last week.

I'd be curious what the district's Restraint & Seclusion policy is.

A typical policy includes only a person trained in restraint and transport can restrain and transport a student, but there is always an underlying idea that “always keeping yourself and the students safe is the #1 priority.”

It’s like if you are not trained but you see a kid with a pair of scissors trying to stab someone, don’t just call and wait for a trained person to come while someone gets hurt, but be safe and keep the kids safe.

A typical policy includes only a person trained in restraint and transport can restrain and transport a student, but there is always an underlying idea that “always keeping yourself and the students safe is the #1 priority.”

 

It’s like if you are not trained but you see a kid with a pair of scissors trying to stab someone, don’t just call and wait for a trained person to come while someone gets hurt, but be safe and keep the kids safe.

Given her title at the district from the article, I'd imagine that she's a trained person in Restraint & Seclusion. That's what made me curious.