Schools
UPDATE: East Cobb Special Ed Teacher Accused of Placing Autistic Child in Trash Can
The teacher was allegedly trying to stop the student's outbursts by comparing him to a Sesame Street character.
Photo Credit: Cobb County Sheriff’s Office
An East Cobb special education teacher is in hot water after police say she held an autistic boy by the legs and dipped him into a trash can last week.
Find out what's happening in East Cobbfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Marietta Daily Journal reports that Mary Katherine Pursley was attempting to discipline the child, who was yelling and screaming during an afterschool program at Mt. Bethel Elementary School on Thursday. An arrest warrant obtained by the MDJ says that Pursley compared the child’s “trashy” behavior to Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch, and dipped the boy into the trash can.
Several adults witnessed the incident, police said. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the adult witnesses were two paraprofessionals and Mt. Bethel’s afterschool director. Mt. Bethel’s website identifies the program’s director as Heidi Nunn.
Find out what's happening in East Cobbfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Pursley has been arrested and charged with first degree cruelty to children and was released from the Cobb County jail on a $5,000 bond Tuesday, records show.
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