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Attleboro special education teacher arrested, accused of slapping 2 students
The school’s superintendent called the incidents a “deeply troubling matter.”
An Attleboro special education teacher was arrested Monday and charged with assault and battery for allegedly slapping two students in a classroom last month, officials announced.
Susan Martin, 57, of Kingston was arraigned on two counts of assault and battery on a person with intellectual disabilities. She is accused of slapping two 5-year-old, nonverbal students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Nov. 26, according to court records.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges against her during her arraignment on Monday.
David Sawyer, the superintendent of Attleboro Public Schools, described the incidents which allegedly occurred in a classroom at Thacher Elementary School, as “deeply troubling” in a statement. He said the allegations were brought to the attention of the district Nov. 26 and that Martin, who was not named in his statement, was immediately placed on administrative leave.
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“We began an internal investigation in accordance with District procedures,” he said. “The District also notified the Attleboro Police Department and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, consistent with our policies and procedures.”
Sawyer said the district has been cooperating with the DA’s office.
“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.”
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According to court records, Martin is a licensed special education teacher in the district, leading a classroom of 11 students around the age of 5, many of them nonverbal or with limited speech.
Martin has been working in the district since August, and police said investigators found that in her time with the district “multiple staff members” told investigators she made concerning comments about students and was overly aggressive and “heavy handed” with the children. But that behavior was never formally reported to school administrators, police said.
According to police, on Nov. 26 multiple school staff members reported seeing Martin slap two 5-year-olds in separate incidents.
She first allegedly slapped a nonverbal girl on the cheek just before noon, leaving a visible mark on her face, according to court records. About an hour later, Martin allegedly slapped a boy, who is also nonverbal, across the face.
According to police, school administrators were informed of the incidents around 1 p.m. and the department was called to the school around 4:30 p.m.
A warrant for Martin’s arrest was issued on Nov. 29.
According to the Boston Herald, she wasn’t immediately arrested because she left Massachusetts for a pre-planned vacation to Florida.
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Martin’s attorney, John McGlone, said in a statement to Boston.com that his client denies “the allegations that there was any intentional infliction of assault and battery.”
“There was absolutely no harm to these children,” he said.
He said Martin was “taken back by surprise” by the allegations against her when she met with school officials and was cooperating with authorities conducting the investigation.
McGlone said police were aware Martin was out of state when the arrest warrant was issued and that arrangements had been made for her surrender to police upon her return.
Instead, he alleged, the department sent officers to arrest her.
“We look forward to having a day in court,” McGlone said. “My client adamantly denies that happened and will push forward for trial.”
According to court records, Martin was ordered to stay away from the victims and witnesses in the case and have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.
Martin will return to court on January 23 for a pre-trial hearing.
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