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Teacher caught having altercation with special needs student
A Gainesville ISD teacher is no longer with the district after she was discovered to have had a physical incident with a special needs student. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.
GAINESVILLE, Texas - Gainesville ISD says a teacher is no longer employed by the district after video surfaced of a physical incident between the teacher and a student with special needs.
Gainesville ISD special needs teacher incident
What we know:
Gainesville ISD confirmed on April 2 that the teacher, who worked at Gainesville Intermediate School, was no longer employed by the district.
The district says the student's guardian was contacted immediately after the incident, and reports were filed with Child Protective Services, the Texas Education Agency and Gainesville Police.
Dig deeper:
Video provided to FOX 4 of the incident shows the teacher following the student around a classroom. The student then falls to the ground as the teacher makes contact with him.
More video shows the teacher taking away an object the student had his leg stuck in after repeatedly kicking it. The student then kicks towards the teacher, before the teacher is seen kicking their leg back towards the student.
"My heart just breaks"
What they're saying:
In an email to FOX 4's David Sentendrey, Gainesville ISD Superintendent DesMontes Stewart said the teacher did not follow proper Crisis Prevention Institute protocols.
However, Stewart said the teacher did not kick the student.
"The allegation that a student was kicked is not supported by the findings. While the actions observed were not aligned with district expectations and training, they were not determined to be abusive in nature."
Mary Donaldson
Mary Donaldson, a special education consultant, discussed the incident with Sentendrey.
"That was, to be honest with you, mild behavior. I have seen children far worse than that. I have worked with children far worse than that," Donaldson said. "But there are lines you just don’t cross, and she knew she was being videotaped."
"The first thing that I see is the whole system is wrong. There is no way that teacher should’ve been left alone in that room by herself," Donaldson continued.
"You have to know that, and you have to call for help."
The Source: Information in this story came from Gainesville ISD and FOX 4 reporting.