LI School District To Fire Teacher Accused Of Abusing Students

Lisa Weitzman, a teacher in the Long Beach School District accused of abusing her special education students, will be fired by the district following a long legal battle.

Weitzman was suspended in 2014 after being accused of abusing students in her class at Long Beach Middle School. All of the students were between 14 and 18 years old with severe mental disabilities.

The alleged abuse took place over years, parents say, and included using zip ties to restrain the students by their wrists and ankles; verbal abuse; forcibly pushing students against the walls; restraining the students using duct tape; spraying Lysol and other deodorants on the students; encouraging a male student to masturbate in front of his other classmates; using the bathroom as a timeout room; stomping on the feet of students with her high heels; using drugs during teachers' lunch breaks; and feeding the students prohibited food items which caused them gastrointestinal symptoms so they would miss school.

Since her suspension, Weitzman has been appealing the district's decision to fire her and has still been an employee of the district. Her tenure stopped the district from firing her immediately.

But in a statement posted to the district's website Monday, it announced that the state hearing officer who was in charge of the case sided with the district, which means it can fire Weitzman.

"The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, April 2 to immediately take action on Ms. Weitzman’s termination," the statement reads. "The safety and well-being of our students is the district’s top priority, and we are grateful that this matter has been concluded for the benefit of our children."