An Ohio school fired a teacher who was caught dragging a preschool child in the hallway. A co-teacher photographed what she did and the image went viral on the internet last Tuesday.
Officials from the Alta Care Group that owned the school confirmed they terminated the unnamed teacher. In a statement, Alta's CEO Joe Shorokey, said they took action immediately as it was a serious matter.
"I want to make sure it is clear that the individual who was terminated does not reflect the values of the dedicated and skilled professionals at Alta Head Start," Shorokey said, as per CNN. The CEO also apologized to the parents and members of the community. He said one action from an erring teacher does not reflect their school program as a whole.
Witnessed said they saw the teacher pulling the child by his arm on the hallway. It was, however, unclear how the incident originated, as per WKBN. The identity and the age of the child were also not disclosed. The school also alerted Mahoning County Children's Services of the incident.
Alta Care Group runs a Head Start program with over 845 children under 5-year-old. Its operation is based off Programs of Promise at Wilson School in Youngstown, Ohio. They have eight classrooms for preschoolers where, aside from a Youngstown teacher, an educational aide from the school district also looks after the kids.
A quick peruse of the Alta Care Group's official site for Head Start indicated the school program served kids from underprivileged families and background. The group has a strict standard when it comes to their teaching staff to help and guide the preschool students.