A teacher that was caught on camera tussling with an autistic child for nearly an hour and a half.
Marion County’s School Superintendent wanted her fired, but the School Board has decided that teacher won’t even be disciplined.
It was the beginning of September and just the third day of class at Maplewood Elementary for a 10-year old autistic Marion County boy.
This classroom surveillance video shows what happened in Tracey Newton’s classroom from the time the boy was first placed in timeout, until an hour and a half later, when an administrator finally came in, removed the student and sent the teacher to the principal’s office.
The video shows the student struggling with the teacher, who is trying to put his hands behind his back.
Marion County School policy says that should only be done by two adults to protect a child from hurting themselves or others.
The video shows Newton drag the boy across the floor, kick the boy's backpack. She then pulls out her own cellphone to videotape his reactions.
"The video speaks strongly as to what the teachers actions were. The Superintendent feels the student’s safety was in jeopardy not once but on several occasions," Said Kevin Christian, a Marion County School Spokesperson.
Newton was suspended and the Superintendent moved to fire her pending school board approval. But at a hearing this week, the School Board decided Newton did nothing wrong.
Board member Nancy Stacy who cast the deciding vote, said she listened to parents who supported Newton and blamed administrators who put the child in her classroom hoping she could fix his behavioral problems.
"We aren’t going to punish this teacher for being a great teacher, had she been a mediocre teacher this would have never happened because the student wouldn’t have been assigned to her classroom," said Stacy.
Now, that district spokesperson says, the only thing he can say for sure is Newton won’t be coming back here to Maplewood Elementary. She’ll get all the pay she missed for the school year, and be placed on paid leave while they contemplate their next move.
"We're looking at what is available to us because the Superintendent feels this teacher shouldn't be in the classroom with any student," said Christian.
The superintendent is also at odds with his school board, as they have a very different view of this video.
"She never lost control she was in complete control," said Stacy.
Newton has been with the district eight years and had no major complaints on her record before this.