‘TIME OUT’ | 

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

Today at 07:17

A schoolteacher assaulted a vulnerable pupil with autism, by dragging her out of the classroom by the ankles after getting “annoyed” at her behaviour.

The distressed girl cried, retreated to a sensory room and soiled herself after she was dragged by the teacher who shouted that she was going on “time out”.

The accused (55) had denied assaulting the child, insisting she only “gently” pulled her out of class and claiming the pupil “enjoyed it”.

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

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

A special needs assistant (SNA) gave evidence that the teacher was trying to get the girl to do some work, but she did not want to do it and was getting agitated. The accused got “very annoyed” and started shouting.

“Get her out of this room, I want her out. She is going on time out,” she said.

The teacher grabbed the victim by the ankles and dragged her from the classroom into the hall. The girl was upset and crying, so she was brought to the sensory room where she soiled herself.

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

It was put to the SNA that the victim had pulled one child’s hair and picked another pupil up and dropped him. The SNA said this had happened earlier, not when the teacher dragged the girl out. She denied that she “misperceived what was going on”.

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

She told then to make written reports.

She also spoke to the accused teacher who gave her version of events, saying the SNAs had not assisted her in removing the child, and asked: “What else was I supposed to do?”

The principal said the school had a “positive handling” policy, setting out that a child was not touched unless they were a danger to themselves or others. If they had to be removed, they were to be held by the wrist and elbow.

Asked about a suggestion the girl was laughing, the principal said the girl’s cognitive disability meant she processed things slowly. The pupil had not had a soiling accident in 14 months before this.

The girl’s mother said her daughter, who was pre-verbal, re-enacted the assault with her sister when she got home. She appeared to be “quite sad”, dazed and not her typical self. She also appeared to have red drag marks on her back.

Becoming emotional, the mother said her child had “regressed” after the assault.

The teacher told the court that the victim, who was “very energetic”, had “attacked” two children, pulling one by the hair and lifting another. They were distressed and crying, and there was a “huge amount of noise” in the class. Meanwhile, she was trying to read with another child.

She said the victim was making a noise in the class and she was concerned for the other pupils’ safety.

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 bent over, “hooked her trainers” and “very gently slid her along the ground over the threshold” then closed the door.

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

In cross-examination, the teacher said she had safety concerns and denied being annoyed, frustrated or overwhelmed. She denied shouting or using any force to pull the child and said she only removed her “carefully” for “a little bit of time outside”.