BRUCETON MILLS, W.Va. — Two Bruceton Elementary School aides are facing charges after being accused of dragging an autistic student into a room with no supervision.
State police in Preston County have charged Melissa Kent, 61, and Leah Nolan, 41, with misdemeanor maltreatment of a disabled child and are free on a $2,500 bond each.
Troopers began the investigation into the alleged incident April 26 that was reported to the Preston County prosecutor on April 2.
Authorities said the investigation showed the student was having a melt down when the aide took him to a calm down room. The room is a small space with nothing else in it.
Investigators said the door to the room was shut by Kent and Nolan and the child was left unsupervised for a period of time. Later the juvenile’s guardian noticed scrapes on the child’s knuckles.
Classroom surveillance showed Kent dragging the autistic student by wrists and arms down the hallway with Nolan following telling the child, “You’ll spend the whole day in that room,’ and ‘Keep your mouth shut.”
Troopers determined the autistic student was placed in the room for an unreasonable amount of time.
Preston County Superintendent Brad Martin made a statement on the incident during this week’s Preston County Board of Education meeting.
“We’d like to reiterate that Preston County Schools continues to be committed to the health and safety of our students, and we will continue to work in consult with law enforcement through their continued investigation and prosecution of this matter,” Martin said.