BROWNSBURG, Ind. — The Brownsburg school board has voted to cut ties with employees accused of mistreating a special education student in their care.
"We have to be able to trust you," a mother told the board at a meeting Monday night.
Her child, like the children of many parents in the room Monday, have special needs. Many can't speak, so their parents spoke for them.
"The community is here to hold your feet to the fire," Laura McDaniel told the board.
Parent after parent told the board their trust had been shattered after an alleged incident in February at Brown Elementary. A teacher and her aide are accused of making a 7-year-old with special needs eat his own vomit. Police say three other staff members watched but didn't stop it or report it to anyone.
The teacher, 27-year-old Sara Seymour, and aide, 63-year-old Debra Kanipe, are charged with neglect of a dependent and failure to report. Three others, who police say saw what happened, are charged with failure to report.
"How does something like that happen, and are you sure, are you sure you've addressed it? And when you say that you're sure, are you sure enough to let my 6-year-old little boy walk in there, knowing that he can never tell you if you're wrong?" Blaire Evans asked the board.
According to the school superintendent Jim Snapp, the school's principal found out about the alleged incident last month while talking to a teacher about a different matter and reported it to the Department of Child Services. Then, Brownsburg police got involved. The delay has prompted parents to call for cameras in the classroom.
"If we don't have cameras for these children who cannot advocate for themselves, how can you say you create a safe environment for him, for any child like him?" asked mom Chelsea Zuleva.
Others called for a top-to-bottom investigation of the school and its policies.
"You think that's the only thing that's happened? I can guarantee you it's not. I guarantee you it's not," a woman who has a special needs grandson told the board. "It's broken. The whole thing's broken for these kids. They can't talk. They can't tell someone if they're being abused, if they're being mistreated. They can't."
The superintendent and board apologized to parents, but families say they need better resources and more special education teachers in the district.
"This is your inflection point, and I implore you to use it," Laura McDaniel said.
The family of the 7-year-old boy has hired an attorney.