The County’s Board of Education agreed to fire the former elementary school principal nearly two and a half years after video surfaced of her dragging a special needs student with autism through the school. The educator reportedly grabbed the 10-year-old boy with autism by the ankles and dragged him through the school’s hallway for 570 feet because the child reportedly failed to comply to a request from the principal. A special education teacher assisted the principal, the Director of Schools said. “I have seen the video from beginning to end. I did not see any behavior that constitutes emergency behavior, dragging the student from the front to the back of the building to the common room, almost two football fields is not a CPI technique and is not proper restraint.” special needs student administrator reportedly said.
According to Daily News Journal, the WHES Principal Helen Campbell was reportedly fired for ‘unprofessional conduct, conduct unbecoming, insubordination and neglect of duty. The educator lost her job on Thursday.
According to Bill Spurlock , RC Director of Schools, on November 4, 2019, the unidentified student with autism reportedly failed to comply to a request from the principal.
The educator from Tennessee then grabbed the juvenile student by the ankles and dragged him through the school’s hallway for 570 feet.
The unidentified 10-year-old student reportedly sustained minor injuries. The elementary school principal and teacher Bonnie Marlar were initially charged with child abuse charges. But, these charges were dismissed by a judge.
According to Bill Spurlock, Principal Helen Campbell also attempted to destroy evidence. She reportedly attempted to delete security footage from the school’s cameras.
During the board meeting on Thursday night, new images from the incident were shown, WSMV reports. The stills from the security video showed the principal pulling the student by his arm from a chair, grabbing him by his belt and dragging him by the wrists.
During the board meeting on Thursday night, a special needs student administrator reportedly said:
“I have seen the video from beginning to end. I did not see any behavior that constitutes emergency behavior, dragging the student from the front to the back of the building to the common room, almost two football fields is not a CPI technique and is not proper restraint.”
But, according to The Daily Mail, a board member, later identified as Tammy Sharp, said that the former principal was reportedly phenomenal at her job:
‘Not one of us on this board have spoken to Miss Campbell. We don’t know the background of this student, we don’t know what his issues were. I think it’s disgusting and I’m sure our teachers that deal with problems like this every day have a chill down their back today and they’re looking for more jobs.” she said:
The board voted 4-2 to fire Campbell. She can appeal the decision.
Principal Helen Campbell was charged with criminal child abuse and endangerment in the November 2019 incident. Per reports, the special education teacher Bonnie Marlar, who assisted Campbell during the incident involving a child, was also charged.
Authorities accused the educators of dragging a 10-year-old boy, who has autism, by the ankles through a school hallway and causing minor injuries to the child on Nov. 4, 2019.
Charges were initially dismissed in February 2020 by General Sessions Court Judge Eischeid. Both educators then faced grand jury indictments a few months later and are on probation after accepting diversion from Circuit Court Judge Sullivan.