Indiana school staff charged after forcing 7-yr-old boy with cognitive disability to eat his own vomit
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BROWNSBURG, INDIANA: Investigators allege that staff members at an elementary school in Brownsburg, Indiana instructed a 7-year-old student to eat his own vomit and failed to report the incident. The staff members are now facing criminal charges over the disturbing incident. The student involved is part of the school’s life skills program and has a cognitive disability that affects his memory.
Five employees were charged with crimes by the Hendricks County Prosecutor's Office in relation to the event involving the mistreatment of a special education student during lunch. Brownsburg Community School Police became aware of the incident on Monday, April 12 even though it happened around lunchtime in February. The Brownsburg Police Department claimed that a 7-year-old student was warned by a staff member named Sara Seymour that if he puked, he would have to eat everything he threw up, KXAN reports.
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What happened to the employees involved in the incident?
A staff member named Julie Taylor brought a tray for the student, who then actually puked. Staff member Debra Kanipe then gave the child a spoon to clean up the mess. Authorities stated that the student ate some of the vomit while Seymour and Kanipe stood on either side of him, KXAN reports.
The child then cleaned up what was left with paper towels. Two other staff members named Kristen Mitchell and Megan King were present when it occurred. A probable cause affidavit revealed the altercation and the five staff members' participation were captured on film. None of them filed a report on what took place.
Seymour and Kanipe's termination procedures have already begun and King isn't allowed to be on Brownsburg Community School Corporation grounds, while the others continue to be on administrative leave.
What are the charges against the five employees?
The allegations against Brown Elementary Life Skills instructor Seymour, 27, include abandonment of a dependent, a Level 6 felony, and failure to report, a Class B misdemeanor. Kanipe, a 63-year-old instructional assistant for life skills at Brown Elementary, was charged with neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony, and failure to report, a Class B misdemeanor.
Teacher of life skills at Brown Elementary, Taylor, 48, and Mitchell, 38, was charged with failing to report a Class B misdemeanor. Megan King, 24, a registered behavioral technician with Kids Count was charged with failing to report is a Class B misdemeanor.
'This horrendous action is not in line with the character'
In a message to parents, Brownsburg Community School Corporation stated, "On Monday, April 17, we shared with Brown Elementary families and staff that BCSC had moved forward with termination for two staff members after learning of the mistreatment of a Life Skills student in their care at lunch," according to KXAN.
The statement continued, "BCSC has been notified that these two staff members will be charged by the Hendricks County Prosecutor. Two other staff members are also being charged for their roles in failing to report the incident. More details are forthcoming from the Brownsburg Police Department (BPD)"
The statement stated, "As BPD releases more information about this incident, please know that the BCSC family will continue to be steadfast in our commitment to Brownsburg students, their safety, and their well-being."
"This horrendous action is not in line with the character of staff and teachers at Brownsburg Schools. The shocking actions of a few do not define the care and concern that Brownsburg teachers and staff show every day," the statement concluded.