HANCOCK COUNTY

Teacher suspended after shaking student on video

5/15/2014

Barb Williams, a kindergarten teacher at Riverdale school slams a student against the wall.

WPTV

MOUNT BLANCHARD, Ohio — A Riverdale teacher has been suspended for 10 days after a security camera showed her pushing a kindergartner against a wall and then lifting him up by his shirt and face.

Barb Williams, a kindergarten teacher at the school, was suspended for the remainder of the school year as the district continues looking into the incident, Superintendent Eric Hoffman said Wednesday.

Anthony and Autumn Nelson told WTOL-TV it was their son, 6-year-old Ian Nelson, in the video.

Hoffman said he could not confirm that.

“I can’t answer that because of student confidentiality,” Hoffman said, referring to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Hoffman said he met with the parents of the child seen in the video on Tuesday, and provided them with the video and documents about the teacher’s suspension.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and the district is cooperating, Hoffman said.

Sheriff Michael Heldman said the school district is currently working with the sheriff’s school resource officer.

“We just found out about this today,” Heldman said Wednesday. “Everything is still under investigation.”

Hoffman said school officials noticed the incident on the district’s security camera footage on May 7 and then started taking action the next day.

Hoffman said the district is unsure whether it will pursue further disciplinary measures against the teacher.

“We’re always trying to make sure something like this doesn’t happen,” Hoffman said. “We’re just trying to move forward with this now.”

Mount Blanchard is about 60 miles south of Toledo.