ATLANTA -- From a heavy handed slap that knocks the special needs student out of his seat, to a series of hits on the head for another child on the floor. In just four days Ms. "J" says she recorded more abuse than she could bear.
"I haven't been the same. I haven't been able to return to work," said the teacher.
Ms. "J" asked not to be identified, but her video is revealing. She says she installed a hidden camera in her classroom at Harper Archer Middle School after the principal and district refused to investigate her concerns regarding how two employees were treating the children in their care.
Alger Coleman, the behavior specialist, and Keisha Smith, a para pro. She says they were lazy, watching TV and listening to music instead of helping the children and that as the year went on they became more physically and verbally abusive. But when she would talk with the principal about her concerns, no one believed her. "J" says she tried three times, even reaching out to someone on the district level for help.
"They would blatantly turn it around and lie and say no we don't know what she's talking about," said "J."
It was a he-said, she-said situation since the children are non-verbal. They can't speak or write to tell anyone what's happening to them. But its hard to argue with the video. In it, attorney Terance Madden says you can see Coleman hit one of the students, then put him in a wrestling choke hold. more
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