Teacher found guilty of assaulting autistic student by dragging her out of classroom by her heels

The distraught girl cried, retreated to a sensory room and soiled herself after being dragged by the teacher who shouted she was taking a “time out”.

The defendant, 55, had denied assaulting the child, insisting she had only “gently” pulled her out of class and claimed the student had “enjoyed it”.

The girl’s mother cried as Judge John Hughes found the teacher guilty and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court to make a victim impact statement.

The court was told that the incident occurred on November 3, 2021 at a school in the north of the city.

A special needs assistant (SNA) stated that the teacher tried to get the girl to do something, but she didn’t want to do it and was restless. The defendant was “very annoyed” and started screaming.

“Get her out of this room, I want her out. She’s taking a break,” she said.

The teacher grabbed the victim by her ankles and dragged her out of the classroom and into the hallway. The girl was upset and crying, so she was taken to the sensory room where she soiled herself.

The SNA was cross-examined by the teacher, who represented herself.

The SNA was told the victim pulled a child’s hair and picked up and dropped another student. The SNA said this happened earlier, not when the teacher dragged the girl out. She denied that she “misunderstood what was going on.”

The principal said another SNA asked, “What do I do if I feel uncomfortable about something?”

She then asked them to prepare written reports.

She also spoke to the accused teacher, who gave her version of events, saying the SNAs had not helped her remove the child and asking: “What else could I have done?”

The principal said the school had a “positive handling” policy that said a child could not be touched unless they posed a danger to themselves or others. If they had to be removed, they had to be removed on Hold the wrist and elbow.

When asked to speculate that the girl was laughing, the principal replied that the girl’s cognitive disability meant she was slow to process things. The student had not suffered a pollution accident in the previous 14 months.

The girl’s mother said her daughter, who had not yet spoken out verbally, reenacted the attack with her sister when she returned home. She seemed “pretty sad,” dazed and not her typical self. She also appeared to have red drag marks on her back.

The mother became emotional and said her child had “regressed” after the attack.

The teacher told the court that the victim, who was “very energetic”, “attacked” two children, pulling one by the hair and lifting another. They were distressed and crying, and there was “huge noise” in the class. In the meantime, she tried reading with another child.

She said the victim was making noise in the class and she was concerned for the safety of other students.

She told the court she began to lead the girl out by the hand, but the victim then sat down near the door.

The teacher said she leaned over, “hooked her sneakers” and “very gently pushed them across the floor over the threshold” and then closed the door.

“While I was doing this, she laughed; She likes exercise of any kind and I think she enjoyed it,” the teacher said. “She wasn’t desperate, she didn’t want me to stop.”

Under cross-examination, the teacher said she had safety concerns and denied being upset, frustrated or overwhelmed. She denied screaming or violently pulling the child and said she only “carefully” removed him for “a little time outside.”