Special ed teacher charged with cruelty to children

Police: 5-year-old forced to sit in own waste for two hours.

A Cobb County special education teacher is accused of making a five-year-old student sit in his own waste for about two hours to “prove a point” about using the restroom.

Kelly Lewis, who taught children with special needs at Frey Elementary School, is charged with one count of cruelty to children in the second degree, which is a felony, stemming from the incident that occurred Nov. 21 at the Acworth school.

According to language in an arrest warrant obtained by Cobb County Schools Police Department, a five-year-old special needs child defecated in his pants. The warrant alleges Lewis allowed the child to remain uncleaned for about two hours.

Witnesses told police that Lewis said she was “going to prove a point” about restroom habits by allowing the child to remain in his soiled clothing.

“Said child did suffer redness and irritation to his buttocks as well as mental pain as a result of the teacher’s actions,” according to the arrest warrant.

Lewis, 56, of Acworth, was booked into the Cobb County Jail Dec. 4 and was released after posting a $5,720 bond.

A Cobb County School District spokeswoman said the system “recently learned that a staff member may not have provided the high level of care for a student that Cobb schools requires.”

“Parents have been notified, and this staff member is out on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation,” the system said in a statement. “Due to state and federal privacy laws, we are unable to provide more specific detail. Cobb is committed to ensuring that our students have a safe and supportive environment so they can achieve success.”

Kelly Lewis, a special education teacher at Frey Elementary, is charged with cruelty to children.