On January 7, the child's mother, Angel Nelson, shared a video of her autistic son being forcefully grabbed by the wrist and dragged down the hallway of Wurtland Elementary School in Wurtland, Kentucky, in October by special needs teacher Trina Abrams for having a meltdown. In the video, the boy can be seen sliding on his knees and his back.
"I'm taking this public for help and advice," Nelson wrote on Facebook in a caption accompanying the footage, which was captured by security cameras.
"On Wednesday, October 24, 2018, Wurtland Elementary school in Greenup County, Kentucky, filed an incident report involving my son and the resource teacher, Mrs. Trina Abrams. My 9-year old son has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety and depression. In addition, his speech is also limited… Mrs. Abrams forcefully grabbed my son by the wrist and bent it backward while he was experiencing a meltdown (which he sometimes experiences as part of his diagnoses)."
After being dragged down the hallway, Abrams allegedly threw the child "hard down onto a chair" in a classroom.
"The camera within the classroom had previously been turned towards the corner, so unfortunately there is no video in the classroom," Nelson explains, also adding that her son, whose name was not revealed, sprained one of his wrists as a result of the incident and has been "emotionally traumatized" as well.
"Mrs. Abrams, considers herself to be completely innocent. She claimed she was preventing him from harming himself, but it doesn't line up with his actions from the video," Nelson added.
Abrams is facing a charge of fourth-degree assault of a victim under 12 years old, Kentucky State Police Senior Trooper David Boarman told multiple media sources Tuesday.
Abrams was also fired by the Greenup County School District.
In a statement to local news outlet WSAZ, Greenup County Schools Superintendent Sherry Horsley wrote, "The Greenup County School District prioritizes the safety of our students. The district followed established safety protocol as soon as this situation became known."
"The parent was contacted immediately, and the student was assessed 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," the statement adds.
A pretrial conference has been scheduled by Greenup County Courthouse Judge Brian McCloud for February 20.
According to Abrams' attorney, Matthew Wiseup, the former teacher "disputes the charges against her."
"It is our intention to fight them in court," he added, the Daily Independent reported Tuesday.
Nelson and the Greenup County School District did not immediately respond to Sputnik's request for comment.
