A teacher at a Goodrich, Mich., elementary school is on paid administrative leave after taunting and video recording an 11-year-old autistic boy who got stuck in his chair.
Nicole McVey, a fifth-grade teacher at Oaktree Elementary, is overheard on a video she took with her cellphone teasing the child who struggled to get his head free from a chair backing.
“Do you want to get Tasered?” she asks the boy in the video.
You can also hear the principal, who resigned after the incident, saying it wasn’t an emergency, WNEM TV 5 reported.
Attorney Patrick Greenfelder, hired by the boy’s family, said the teacher is on paid administrative leave while private tenure hearings debate her future, the station said.
The Goodrich school board voted to fire Miss McVey, but Superintendent Scott Bogner said “under Michigan’s tenure law, that teacher has a right to a private hearing of any charges against her. The district is obligated to respect that right and will not discuss specifics of this case.”
Mr. Greenfielder said the incident happened back in November, but parents at Wednesday night’s school board meeting said they’re still sticking by the teacher’s side.
“She is very compassionate,” one parent told WNEM. “She has taught the children compassion. She has taught them how to accept others.”
“She loves the children. She would never jeopardize or bully anyone,” said another.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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