An elementary teacher in Kentucky is facing criminal charges after a video was revealed showing her dragging a 9-year-old student diagnosed with autism down the school hallway.
The incident occurred on October 24, 2018, at Wurtland Elementary School in Greenup County. The teacher, Trina Abrams, has also been fired Monday, January 7.
What Happened?
Kentucky State Police “opened an investigation into teacher Trina Abrams,” according to Senior Trooper David Boarman. Boarman told CNN that Abrams has “been charged with Assault 4th Degree, victim under 12 years old.”
Trina Abrams, a former resource teacher at Wurtland Elementary School in Eastern Kentucky, was caught on surveillance footage while she drags a 9-year-old boy out of a classroom and through multiple hallways after he became frustrated and began to have a meltdown.
Abrams is heard on the video asking the boy if he wants to walk, to which he replies “no.” Abrams then yells “get up” while pulling up his body as he refuses to move. The boy was first seen being dragged on his back and then on his knees.
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The video was posted on social media by the boy’s mother, Angel Nelson. “It broke my heart when I saw the video and I saw all of his new classmates and his friends along the wall watching him being dragged down the hallway,” Nelson said in an interview with ABC affiliate WCHS.
Nelson said her son, Alan Jackson, had been diagnosed with autism, depression, anxiety, ADHD and PTSD, and Abrams was his resource teacher. Nelson said the other children were taken out of the classroom when her son was having an outburst and Abrams had allegedly grabber Alan’s wrists, twisted them and pulled him out of his chair.
The Greenup County School District announced the termination of the teacher on Monday, which is more than two months after the incident.
“The Greenup County School District priortzes the safety of our students.The district followed established safety protocal as soon as this situation became known,” Superintendent Sherry Horsley said in a statement to WSAZ. “The parents was contacted immediately and the student was asseseed by the school nurse and referred for outside medical evaluation. Child Protective Services was contacted and the Kentucky State Police opened an investigation. The teacher was removed from the school and a formal investigation was conducted.”
Who Is Trina Abrams?
Trina Abrams is a former resource teacher at Wurtland Elementary School in Eastern Kentucky. She is now facing charges after dragging a 9-year-old autistic student Alan Jackson down a school hallway by his wrists.
Alan’s mother Nelson said that when she first met with Abrams at their initial IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting upon enrolling her son at Wurtland, Abrams assured her and her husband that she had years of experience and that her son was in good hands.
Nelson now claimed Abrams has caused far more damage than is seen in the video. She said her son, who has been in occupational therapy since age 3 and had made progress in his development, has regressed severely and needs more extensive therapy than ever before.
Alan had just started at the school a month prior. Nelson and her husband transferred him out within two weeks of the incident.
