An Ohio teacher is facing felony charges for allegedly slapping a seven-year-old student with special needs. The child's mother, Page Fredrick, contacted Ohio news station WBNS in October and asked them to look into allegations that a teacher at Hayes Elementary School slapped her daughter, who has nonverbal autism.
The news station uncovered video footage of the incident, which appears to show the teacher, Jodi Grafmiller, slapping the young girl in the head, causing her to fall to the ground.
Prosecutors initially charged Grafmiller with a pair of misdemeanors, but after reviewing the case, they upgraded the charges to one count of felony assault.
"Ohio law says that if an individual who is a functionally impaired person is assaulted by an individual who was in the position of a caregiver, then that assault elevates to a felony under Ohio law," Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan explained to the news station.
Fredrick said that she was shocked and angry after seeing the video.
"It was heart-wrenching. I was very upset, devastated. Like I have a nonverbal autistic child. One of my worst fears happened in a so-called safe place while I'm at work," she told the news station.
Marion City Schools said that Grafmiller has been placed on leave.
"The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We are currently investigating the situation at Hayes Elementary, and the teacher has been placed on leave during this process. To protect the privacy of all involved and due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share further details at this time," the school district said in a statement.
Grafmiller is scheduled to appear in court on December 2.
Fredrick said that she is considering filing a civil lawsuit against the school district.
You can watch the video below: