Teacher's Aide Accused of Assault

A teacher's assistant is on administrative leave as school officials investigate claims that she assaulted a child with special needs.

The suspension stems from a March 21 incident at a school bus stop where a witness saw a teacher's assistant handling a student in a rough fashion as the youngster was boarding a bus, according to a police report.

The assistant was seen by a teacher, as well as on video, grabbing a child and bending the juvenile's hand far beyond its normal range of motion as she pulled him from time-out to the bus, the report states.

The teacher's assistant "grabs the student's left hand and (the student) immediately crouches as though it hurts," wrote the investigating officer describing the surveillance footage. "She then pulls him towards the bus, eventually letting go."

Though police were called, there are no criminal charges, because the child's mother didn't want the case prosecuted, according to police spokesman Capt. Stan Gragg. The case is described as an "assault" in the report.

School system officials have launched their own internal investigation, and the employee, who also operates buses at the school, has not been allowed back on campus since the incident, according to the report.

"Following this incident, for which no (criminal) charges were filed, a teacher's assistant at Moultrie Middle School was placed on administrative leave pending (an) investigation," confirmed Jason Sakran, school system spokesman.