A paraprofessional at Newnan High School was recorded on camera pushing a student with special needs three times. The Coweta County School System confirmed that the worker had left the organization, according to a police complaint.
On Nov. 15, an officer was helping another staff member with an inquiry at the Central Education Center regarding a “blind spot” where a camera was not operating.
“While we were in my office searching for the camera system to see if I could locate a camera that covered the angle the school was looking for, I saw a Newnan High staff member appear to push a student from behind,” the officer said in the police report.
The officer reported pausing and rewinding the footage from the moment the student and paraprofessional walked out of the classroom. According to the report, the video showed the paraprofessional pushing the child from behind with both of her hands, forcing the youngster to slip and lose her equilibrium.
It supposedly happened a few more times as they moved down the corridor. Because the police observed the shoving to be “excessive and criminal,” they decided to contact the assistant principal and show her the footage. The incident was also made known to other officials.
According to the report, the employee was interviewed for an internal investigation, and the police also spoke with her about the event.
According to the police report, she stated she was instructed to do so at the beginning of the year to help the baby in walking down the corridor. The officer also noted that the woman admitted to using excessive force but stated she had been “working on that.”
According to the incident report, the paraprofessional was taken from the school after the interview. The child’s parent was informed of the issue and stated that she would like to bring charges if possible.
According to a district official, the paraprofessional worked at Newnan High School’s 9th-grade campus.