A North Carolina schoolteacher who allegedly dragged a special needs student down a hallway shouted insults at reporters who showed up at her home.
Lori Holland, 54, is accused of hitting and dragging the disabled boy on Jan. 30 at Carver Elementary School in Wendell. She screamed at reporters who asked her version of events: ‘I didn’t do shit!’
An arrest warrant from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office said the boy was under 16 years old. Holland is charged with misdemeanor child abuse and assault on a person with a disability.
She was arrested at her home on Friday and is currently out on bail. Holland is scheduled to appear in court on March 18.
Lori Holland, 54, is accused of hitting and dragging the disabled boy on Jan. 30 at Carver Elementary School in Wendell.
He shouted at journalists who asked him his side of the story: ‘I didn’t do shit!’
The school’s principal, Wenitra Merritt, said in a statement to parents: ‘The accused conduct is related to an incident that occurred on our campus with one of our students.
‘I want to assure you that we take the safety of our students and staff members very seriously. While privacy laws prevent me from providing much additional information about the situation, I can share that Ms. Holland is suspended.’
The teacher denied any wrongdoing and said she was actually trying to help the boy up after he fell to the ground.
She said WRAL: ‘Even the teacher’s assistant who was walking behind me said that I didn’t hurt him. He would never hit the child.
Holland is charged with misdemeanor child abuse and assault on a person with a disability.
The teacher denied any wrongdoing and said she was actually trying to help the boy up after he fell to the ground. Pictured: Carver Elementary School
“That’s why I became a special education teacher: to protect these kids from teachers who really abuse them.”
Holland said the student was walking slowly, so he took her hand and began walking down the hallway with her before dropping to the floor, which “he’s been known to do,” he said.
She said she believes a parent called the school and reported the incident.
According CBS 17 When teams came to interview her, Holland began yelling profanities at them after they crossed the street.
Standing on his porch, he yelled at reporters: ‘I didn’t do shit!’
When they ask her if she would like to talk to them, she shouts: ‘No!’
Holland was hired by the school district in 2012 and is currently suspended with pay.
In North Carolina, it is the school board that can fire a teacher.