Teacher placed on leave after parents of non-verbal children with disabilities learned that she allegedly verbally and physically abused, sprayed them in the face with water when they got too excited

Elementary school teacher was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation after parents of two non-verbal children with disabilities learned that the minors were verbally and physically abused for some time by the teacher, even though the teacher facing the accusations knew them very well as she has taught the children since kindergarten. The incident, understandably, left local residents and parents of other children outraged.

One of the incidents, that reportedly took place in the end of last month, was brought to the light of the day last week by several local news stations. Speaking to WTKR, the mothers of the non-verbal children, Y. Myrick and E. Leemon, explained to the public what had happened to their children in an effort to raise awareness and hopefully prevent similar incidents in the future.

Describing the incident as disturbing, the mothers said their 11-year-old daughters, Christina and Milan, were allegedly verbally and physically abused by their teacher, whose identity was not revealed, at the Virginia based Grassfield Elementary School. “I feel hurt. I feel betrayed. I feel angry,” said Myrick, Milan’s mother. “I feel sad and I feel lost. It’s a nightmare.” As soon as the school officials learned about the incident, the teacher was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Leemon, Christina’s mother, said she still feels devastated, betrayed and lost in a fog. According to her, she thought that sending her child to school every day was safe as it could be since she had never experienced something similar before. The school principal was the one who personally informed Leemon about the disturbing accusations.

“I was told the teacher had a spray bottle of water she would keep in the car, and she would spray these kids in face with the water bottle when they got too excited,” Leemon said. “She told me the teacher would squeeze my daughter’s mouth and scream in her face.” Myrick, however, was told about the incidents a week earlier by a staff member who claimed that she witnessed the abuse. Nonetheless, the struggle for both mothers is the same since their best-friends children are non-verbal and therefore, unable to tell their parents.

Both mothers are angry and disappointed because none of the school leaders reached out to them earlier. So far, the case has not been reported to the local authorities and only the investigation conducted by the local school district is ongoing. Meanwhile, Myrick and Leemon say placing the teacher on administrative leave is not enough as they want everyone involved, including the school and other school employees, to be held accountable.

The incident gathered a lot of public attention and the school had to issue a public statement regarding the case since the school officials decided not to comment about the incidents while the investigation is ongoing. This is what CPS Spokesman Dr. Chris Vail said in a statement:

On May 27, 2022, school administrators received a report of alleged abuse from a teacher towards three students. The teacher in question was immediately placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation and a report to Child Protective Services was made. This remains an ongoing investigation and we are unable to provide additional comment as a result. Further action will be considered as appropriate.