Indiana special education workers charged with felony after they made student eat his own vomit

Rachel Fradette and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read
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Five special education staff members at an Indiana elementary school were charged with neglect or failure to report neglect after video showed them instructing a 7-year-old student in a life skills program to eat and clean up his own vomit, police said.

Police in Brownsburg, Indiana, a suburban community outside Indianapolis, announced a life skills teacher for students with disabilities at Brown Elementary School, Sara Seymour, and an instructional aide, Debra Kanipe, were charged with neglect of a dependent, a felony. They were also charged with failure to report, a misdemeanor.

Another teacher, a second aide and a contracted Kids Count behavioral technician were also charged with failure to report.

The incident, which happened in February and was first reported to the police in April, was caught on video, Brownsburg Police said in a statement. Authorities have not released the video but said it shows staff members surrounding the boy and watching the "mistreatment" of the boy as he ate lunch.

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Police said in the video, the victim can be seen sitting at a lunch table, eating his food until he stands and begins to choke on his food.

"Seymour is said to have allegedly advised the victim that if he vomited, he would be required to eat what he threw up," police said in a release, citing a probable cause affidavit.

The video shows the child proceeding to vomit onto a tray provided by another staff member and onto the table in front of him, according to the release.

"The victim was then provided a spoon by Kanipe and was compelled to eat some of his vomit," the release said. The staff also required the child to clean his vomit with paper towels, police said.

The charges were filed by the Hendricks County Prosecutor Office Wednesday, Brownsburg Police Department Captain Jennifer Barrett told the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network. Seymour and Kanipe were booked into the Hendricks County Jail, she said.

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In a statement released last week, Brownsburg Community Schools said staff learned about the incident on the evening of April 12 although the incident took place on February 16.

Barrett said one of the employees charged with failing to report revealed the incident, leading to an investigation.

Both Seymour and Kanipe were then immediately removed from contact with students and placed on administrative leave along with the three other staff members, according to police.

Police said on Wednesday that the termination process for Seymour and Kanipe has been initiated.

Brownsburg Community Schools shared a statement with families Wednesday afternoon reiterating the district's commitment to student safety.

"This horrendous action is not in line with the character of staff and teachers at Brownsburg Schools," the statement reads. "The shocking actions of a few does not define the care and concern that Brownsburg teachers and staff show every day."

The student involved in this incident has since returned to school, the district previously shared.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Indiana special ed staff who made student eat vomit charged: Police