[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
This is so awful…
Authorities in Tennessee have arrested a 49-year-old teacher, Meg Day (pictured in her mugshot, above), after claims surfaced that she allegedly dragged a nonverbal 9-year-old student across a classroom rug, leaving him injured.
According to reports from multiple local news outlets in the city of Selmer, the incident happened back on March 19 at Selmer Elementary School. However, it took weeks for the case to result in an arrest — which finally came last Thursday.
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Two witnesses reportedly saw what happened and did not stay silent, per WREG News and others. Those witnesses told officials that Day grabbed the child by the lower half of his body and pulled him across the floor. At some point afterward, another staff member noticed the boy reaching behind himself in discomfort. That’s when they saw what has been described as a “blood red mark” across his body. Officials later determined the injury to be carpet burn.
So, a young child — who is nonverbal and therefore especially vulnerable — was allegedly handled in such a rough and forceful way that it left visible injury.
WTF…
Honestly, it’s hard to reconcile that with the basic expectations we have for teachers.
School administrators were notified quickly, and they escalated the situation to law enforcement. From there, the McNairy County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation that ultimately led to Day being charged with assault.
And as troubling as this situation is, it’s not happening in isolation. Just days before this incident, another employee within the same district was arrested under separate but strikingly similar circumstances, per Us Weekly. A 65-year-old lunch worker at Selmer Middle School, identified as Sequoia Ann Hively, was accused of striking a 15-year-old student in that case. Video reportedly captured that moment, though thankfully, the student did not sustain injuries.
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Still, two incidents involving alleged physical harm to students in such short succession is bound to raise concerns among parents and the community. And among the wider world, too…
Investigations into both cases are ongoing, per local news outlets, and officials say more details could emerge. For now, families no doubt must be left with questions, and a lingering sense of unease about whatever is happening behind classroom doors.
Ugh. What a terrible, terrible situation.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
[Image via McNairy County Sheriff’s Office]
