Abuse allegations leads to special education teacher separation from Folsom Cordova Unified School District

(FOX40.COM) - - A Williamson Elementary special education instructor who was accused of striking a non-verbal autistic student while on task no longer works for the Folsom Cordova Unified School District..

The district verified the teacher's status on Monday..

The news of the separation comes 2 months after the trainee's parents had an interview in front of the school to demand more transparency from the district and for the teacher to be fired..

" My son was diagnosed with autism at three," said Ebone McNeal, the mom of 5-year-old Eceon Graham.

FCUSD teacher accused of assaulting an unique requirements student.

According to his household, Graham is a common 5-year-old however, he doesn't talk much, in some cases not at all..

While at work on Sept. 13, McNeal said she got a call from an administrator at the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, home to Williamson Elementary, where her child remained in school..

McNeal says the administrator informed her a teacher struck her boy..

" She was holding him down limiting him and she physically slapped him across the face," McNeal stated.

The teacher's name isn't pointed out in this story because she has actually not been criminally charged, but the district says the alleged abuse took place on Sept. 11. It wasn't reported to administration until an instructor's aide stepped forward on Sept. 13..

" It ought to have been done right away but it was done two days later on and we acted upon it as quickly as possible," said Dr. Sarah Koligian, the Folsom Cordova Unified School District Superintendent.

Graham's teacher was placed on administrative leave the very same day it was reported to the district, but McNeal said she didn't discover up until Sept. 14, three days after the supposed occurrence.

Throughout those 3 days, Graham was in class with his alleged abuser..

Through an open records request to the district, FOX40 obtained e-mails that show the teacher asked for aid from her greater ups days before the alleged event occurred to get more behavioral assistance. She wanted support to stop students from leaving their workspace, climbing on furniture, and pushing..

The district responded in a follow up e-mail on the same day of the supposed abuse. Rather of laying out a lesson plan, they recommended for the instructor to ensure classwork tasks are clear for students to comprehend, and materials are laid out ahead of time.

One longtime teacher says the instructor's ask for assistance does not excuse her from striking a child.

" Per training, per district protocol, per the law, the instructor needs to have not unlawfully restrained the student," said Dr. Elysse Versher, a longtime educator and education dispute specialist. "The teacher needs to have made the most of regimens and treatments to maintain safety and order in the class.".

Versher was a school administrator for seven years and a teacher for over a decade. She also does personal consulting for trainees and teachers in dispute with school districts.

" We're all human of course and when there are minutes, which as a credentialed teacher, which this instructor was, discover themselves overwhelmed and or not able to maintain a safe environment for that, for all of our students, however in specific, our students who are nonverbal – – administration ought to have been called right away," Versher stated. "And by administration, I imply, the vice principal and or the principal who's technically that teacher's immediate supervisor.

Considering that the supposed occurrence, McNeal has pulled Graham from the class at Williamson and put him in a brand-new school..

In the meantime, the district said with contract from parents, it moved all of the students from Graham's class to other existing programs in the district..

" There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying that I can't manage this task however there is something incorrect with the assaulting a kid," McNeal said.

McNeal says she wants to see cameras with a live feed in all unique education classrooms, that method, parents can see at any point, what goes on when they can't be there.

" They can't inform me what took place. It's my boy's word versus this teacher. And that was what the detective told me at the cops department. Well, your son can't say anything. Your son can't inform us what happened. So it's like so my boy doesn't get any justice just because he's not verbally able to state what took place. There's other people that witnessed it. You understand what I indicate? However if we had that electronic camera footage, we would have been able to state no, you did precisely what that help stated that you did," McNeal stated.

Versher states cams in the class most likely wont be possible but she states there is a response..

Do your task," Versher stated. "In referencing again, these emails where the teacher on unique task that was chosen to assist this instructor, dropped the ball.

To get more information about your child's teacher Versher says go to ctc.ca.gov, look for teacher, enter the instructor's first and last name and look for your kid's teacher's negative record..

Versher also states to keep a paper trail of occurrences and document whatever..

The district states FCUSD takes student safety really seriously and puts a high level of value on our systems for reporting issues. This includes routine training for personnel to identify and report issues for trainee safety so those issues can be examined immediately..

The district did not provide some records and reports correlating to the supposed incident and the teacher in question because it stated there is a continuous investigation..