RFP Staff
♦ Yesterday the RFP learned from sources in the Rowan-Salisbury School System that a 3rd grade teacher at Knollwood Elementary School on 3075 Shue Road in Salisbury resigned after allegedly using masking tape to restrain a 9 year-old boy in her classroom. Knollwood Elementary School is an “F” rated school on the most recent school performance grade posted by the N.C. Department of Education for 2014-2015.
In a press release from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office it mentions that a teacher was accused of employing masking tape to confine the 9 year-old student to his desk. According to the release the boy allegedly was confined to his desk by wrapping tape around tape around it.
According to reports its alleged by the boy’s mother Lynda Santamaria that the teacher confined the boy with masking tape on several occasions. She allegedly learned about these abusive incidents from her daughter attending 5th Grade at Knollwood Elementary.
A classmate of the allegedly abused 9 year-old boy captured some of the masking tape abuse on his school issued iPad. A third video segment, caught on iPad by the classmate, allegedly shows masking tape wrapped around the boy’s belly so he was held firmly to the chair. It’s said by the boy’s mother that this video segment involving bodily restraint was deleted from the iPad.
Santamaria responding to a question about why her son didn’t tell her about the masking tape abuse: she went on record as saying words to the effect that the boy believed such teacher behavior was normal because he alleges it was done a number of times.
According to statute NCGS 15A-301 (b1): School employees cannot be charged or arrested “for an offense that occurred while the school employee was in the process of discharging his or her duties of employment, without prior written approval of the district attorney or the district attorney’s designee”.
This is called animal abuse (pictured below). What do you call confining a 9 year-old boy to a desk with masking tape?
We hope Lynda Santamaria goes for damages due the nature of the alleged abuse whether the case winds up in criminal or civil court. The alleged toll of emotional abuse that several days of masking tape confinement might cause could be significant even if the boy was only confined to a desk.
We’ve learned the boy was bullied at Knollwood after the alleged incidents and that other youngsters were telling him he was to blame for incidents.
We hope the Rowan-Salisbury Schools strays from it’s horrific past history of covering up bullying incidents. Lest we forget Erwin Middle School:
Erwin Middle School Suicides: Protecting Every Child From Bullying
2014-2015 State Department of Education’s Report Card Reveals Salisbury, N.C. Schools are HORRIFIC
