Rocklin Special Education Teacher Accused Of Tipping Special-Needs Child Out Of Her Chair
ROCKLIN (CBS13) — A Rocklin special education teacher is on leave and under investigation after an aide reported seeing the teacher tip a special-needs student out of her chair.
The Valley View Elementary School teacher has not been identified, but has been placed on administrative leave.
Holly Jackman, the parent of the child at the center of the investigation, says the hurt and fear is too overwhelming for her to describe how she feels.
"I was in a state of shock receiving this phone call," she said.
Jackman says the Rocklin Unified School District called her with some incredibly disturbing news—a special education teacher at the school allegedly used harsh reprimands toward her 8-year-old special-needs daughter before tipping her out of her chair.
The school district says an instructional aide came forward after witnessing Thursday's incident.
"I asked her, I said, 'Why didn't you tell me this happened?' And she said, 'I'm sorry Mommy, but I was afraid of the teacher,'" she said.
Jackman, a survivor of child abuse, says she always reminds her children that if anyone yells at them or hurts them to tell her right away.
"That she was so afraid that she couldn't come to me and tell me is, I just don't want to think about what else might have happened between her and this teacher," she said.
The school district released a statement saying, "The teacher was removed from further contact with students and placed on administrative leave. The school district is cooperating with law enforcement. We are launching our own internal review to gather all of the facts."
Jackman says the allegations are unthinkable.
"I just want people to know what's going on, because there are several hundred students that attend Valley View and there are eight other students in her classroom," she said.
Jackman says she sat face-to-face with the teacher at a conference on Friday, the day after the alleged incident, but before she or the district knew about it.