NEW JERSEY — A New Jersey teacher was reportedly suspended last week for holding a 4-year-old boy upside down by the ankles and leaving him with cuts and bruises all over his body.
Devena Wilkins has since removed her son, Daylan, who has autism, from the school system in Southern Orange-Maple the day after the March 27 incident at the kindergarten in montrose.
“A teacher held him upside down by his ankles,” Wilkins said.
The school principal called his mother after the incident to tell her that her son had bitten one of the teachers, which resulted in the boy’s time out ending. When he was done, Wilkins said his teacher “came back to him and kicked him in the legs and that’s when she had the chance to grab him by the two pegs and hold it up”.
“And apparently he was on the air for at least 15 seconds when a deputy came over and said, ‘I’ll take care of here,'” Wilkins added.
The photos show the bruises Wilkins says her son suffered after the classroom incident. Daylan was taken out of school after this.
“Daylan is not going back to Montrose. I hope at least the district can homeschool because I don’t trust anyone with my son right now,” his mother said.
The school district says it is cooperating with the relevant authorities, but cannot comment further due to confidentiality rules for student and staff matters.
The Wilkins family says the principal told them the teacher in question had been suspended, but Child Protective Services told them the teacher had been fired.