Former headteacher faces charges after shoving special needs student to the ground
A former elementary school principal is facing charges of wilful cruelty to a minor after footage emerged in which he pushes a young student to the ground.
In the clip Brian Vollhardt, the former principal at Wolters Elementary School in Central California, can be seen shoving the student in the chest which causes him to fall to the floor.
The incident, which unfolded in June this year, involved a special needs student, according to the Fresno Unified School District. You can see footage of the incident here:
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The school district said Vollhardt chose to ‘aggressively shove the student down’ rather than ‘de-escalating the situation’.
It said a disciplinary process had been initiated, but Vollhardt had resigned from his position and no longer works at the school.
Superintendent Bob Nelson said Vollhardt’s actions were ‘repugnant’.
He went on: “Instead of de-escalating the situation, which is what we expect of an educator in our system, the former principal chooses to aggressively shove the student down instead.”
He confirmed that the child wasn’t physically hurt and that he was given ‘the necessary socio-emotional supports’ following the incident.
The district says it had been reported to the police Child Protective Services and have notified California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said the incident was reported to police back in June but that he was only made aware of it on September 6.
He said: “I can tell you as a police chief in this community, I have a real problem as to the way that this child was treated.
"As a parent of a nine-year-old kid, which is a very similar age to the victim in this case and who also suffers from anxiety and doesn’t always handle situations in the best way, it is troubling as to how somebody who is supposed to protect this child and provide support, treated them.”
An arrest warrant affidavit reveals Vollhardt claimed the youngster was shouting and getting in his face.
Vollhardt went on to say the boy made fists and pressed them against him, prompting him to push him.
The boy’s guardian, who considers him her son, has slammed Vollhardt after seeing the footage.
She told ABC: "You cannot put force to these kids like that.
"My son is autistic. Any parents seeing this video, they know what I'm feeling right now. My son was pushed with force by this principal who was supposed to protect him."
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Claire Reid