A Georgia teacher has been making headlines recently. The special needs educator, identified as Amelia Stripling, allegedly knocked down a 4-year-old special needs child by knocking him back with her knees, causing the child to fall. The act was caught on tape and while the special needs student was not injured, Stripling has resigned from her post.
According to CBS News, the incident happened last March 17 at the Tift County Pre-K Center school in Tifton, a place south of Atlanta, Georgia. The school's spokeswoman, Stacey Beckham, said that Amelia Stripling has been a special needs educator for 22 years, but after the video surfaced, she resigned the next morning.
The special needs student's mother, Sarah Patterson, told the Toronto Sun that her son did not notice Stripling walking into the classroom. The Georgia teacher apparently put her knee on the special needs student's back while he was standing in the doorway.
The child fell forward face-first on the ground, but got right back up again. According to the Tift County school officials, the special needs student was unharmed.
Tifton, Georgia: Teacher Arrested After Appearing to Intentionally Knock Over Student on Video. Amelia Stripling, 71,...
Posted by Corrupt Justice on Friday, March 25, 2016
The American National Consensus reports that in 2010, there are over 45 million special needs children in the US and students that need special education services are increasing. According to The Arc, special needs students and children have increased chances of being abused because of their innate vulnerability.
However, we can stop this from happening by reporting any kind of abuse to the authorities. WSB TV reports that the Division of Family and Children Services has been notified of the incident. Additionally, Patterson has employed the aid of an attorney for the incident.
It is not known if Stripling has hired an attorney as well. Stripling's name has been removed from the staff page of the school's website. Watch the video of the incident below.
