No charges for teachers who dragged boy
Mother of autistic child, 7, says actions ‘inexcusable’
CRESTLINE, OHIO— Two kindergarten teachers seen on video carrying an autistic boy down hallways and dragging him on the floor by an ankle won’t be criminally charged but still face disciplinary proceedings.
The Crestline instructors hauled the 7-year-old to a school office May 8after he acted up on the playground and started hitting and biting them, the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum reported.
The boy’s mother, Bonnie McKean, said the school showed her security video of the incident later that week.
“To see my little boy carried and (dragged) from one end of the school to the front of the office by someone that is supposed to help him learn and protect him while he is at school — this was inexcusable,” she said. She noted that she had given the school tools to help deal with her son’s needs, such as tips for calming him.
After a prosecutor this week decided against pursuing charges, McKean shared the video on Facebook for viewers to judge for themselves.
The district doesn’t condone the teachers’ actions, Superintendent Noreen Mullens said.
The instructors have been on administrative leave and have been replaced in the classroom for the coming year, and state education officials are reviewing their conduct, Mullens said.
The district didn’t immediately respond to a message Friday seeking information about whether the teachers have attorneys.
McKean said the incident makes it tougher for her to trust that her child is being cared for at school as a new academic year begins.