DRY RIDGE — A former Grant County School District special education teacher is charged with third-degree abuse relating to an incident that happened last December.
The alleged abuse occurred at Sherman Elementary School.
A spokesperson for the district said the district is unable to comment on personnel issues, but said the accused teacher, Abigail Schlagel, no longer works at the school.
The family of the student involved said the situation rocked them.
“I was told that his ears were pinched and pulled on and he was essentially kind of pulled up by his ears by the teacher,” said a family member of the victim who wanted to remain anonymous.
According to court documents, on Dec. 1, 2022, a teacher saw Schlagel “holding and twisting” the student's ears for 10 minutes. The teacher reported “both [the student’s] ears were quite red and he was clearly uncomfortable.” She took pictures of the student’s ears to show how red they were.
Another teacher observed similar behavior from Schlagel before Thanksgiving break, according to court documents. In a statement to the Grant County Sheriff's Office, the teacher claims she saw Schlagel hold the child by the ears. She thought Schlagel was trying to get him to stand.
Both teachers reported it to the Interim Principal at Sherman Elementary Shannon Brickler.
After informing Brickler, Chief Academic Officer/ Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Wright conducted an interview with Schlagel that same day. Schlagel said the student is smart but refuses to work sometimes.
Here is part of that transcript:
JW: Do you remember using the strategy of pulling on his ears?
AS: Yes, I’ve used it a couple of times.
JW: Where did you learn this strategy?
AS: I didn’t, it just came to me.
JW: Is that a strategy?
AS: No.
JW: What do you think that is?
AS: Please don’t make me say it.
JW: What do you think it is?
AS: Abusive.
The school district confirmed Schlagel is no longer employed at the school. Schlagel was terminated on December 5, 2022, according to documents obtained by WCPO.
Court records show a letter Superintendent Matthew Morgan sent to Schlagle that notified her of the district’s intention to fire her for twisting the ear of a student and leaving visible marks on December 5.
A family member tells WCPO 9 they are upset the school district did not inform the community about what happened.
“There’s more than just one special needs kid in the school, and I think Grant County should have at least told special needs parents that something like this has happened because some kids are nonverbal,” a family member of the student said. “I feel like they’re trying to sweep it under the rug, so that they don’t have to answer questions.”
They said it is hard for the child to attend school.
“They’re struggling to go to school now, and they’re struggling with feeling safe,” a family member said.
They said the child is now sensitive to touch.
“From what I know he is very sensitive to anything ear-wise, anything near his ears or anything like that,” the family member said.
They said they believe the incident is part of the reason why the child is now sensitive to touch around his ears, but it is not the entire reason.
The student’s family says the student has been a part of the special education program within the district since 2019. Court records show the student was diagnosed with an ear condition when they were 8-months-old. According to those documents, the family claims Schlagel previously knew about the problem because she worked with the student in kindergarten the year before the incident happened.
Schlagel asked the judge to dismiss the case indictment this summer. The judge denied it. Her trial starts December 8.
