A special education teacher at an elementary school in Attleboro, Massachusetts, is facing multiple charges after she allegedly assaulted two 5-year-old autistic students.
Attleboro police said they were contacted on Nov. 26 by a school administrator from the Thacher Elementary School on James Street reporting a staff member who had allegedly assaulted multiple students. The initial police investigation revealed that multiple staff members at the school saw 57-year-old Susan Martin, a special education classroom teacher, physically assault students on at least two separate occasions that day.
One 5-year-old student was reportedly slapped in the face by Martin around 11:55 a.m., and another 5-year-old student was reportedly pushed and slapped by Martin around 1 p.m. Both children are autistic.
Police said both incidents were witnessed by several other staff members and occurred in a classroom setting.
The first incident was reported to school administrators between 1 and 1:30 p.m. that day, and the second incident came to light after school administrators began speaking with other staff members after the first incident had occurred.
School administrators asked Martin to leave the school after placing her on administrative leave several hours before reporting the incident to police.
Attleboro police detectives assigned to the investigation subsequently obtained a warrant for Martin's arrest charging her with two counts of assault and battery on a person with an intellectual disability. She was unable to be immediately arrested after the warrant was issued because she had left the state on a pre-planned vacation to Florida.
On Monday, Attleboro police said they located Martin at her residence in Kingston, where she was taken into custody without incident. She was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday morning in Attleboro District Court.
The incident remains under investigation, according to police.
School officials had issued a statement the day after what they called a "troubling incident," saying they had notified police and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families about the alleged assaults.
“This is disheartening news, as the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We take situations like this very seriously and are committed to collaborating with Attleboro Police as they conduct a thorough investigation," School Superintendent David Sawyer said in the statement.
In a new statement issued Monday, Sawyer said the school district has been "cooperating fully" with the police investigation and "continues to support the affected students and their families during this difficult time."
"The allegations represent a profound betrayal of the trust our community places in educators and the values we hold dear as a public school district," he said. "I would like to reiterate that the safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities. We have taken this situation very seriously since it was brought to our attention, and we are committed to collaborating with our law enforcement partners in their ongoing investigation."
