Teacher Drags Boy Across Classroom: Kindergarten Student Dragged By Ankle, Hits Head On The Floor

A teacher allegedly dragged a boy across the classroom by his ankle for not listening to her. Judy Bingham is being charged with one count of cruelty to children, a first degree felony, and simple battery, a misdemeanor, USA Today reports.

A kindergarten student was apparently grabbed by his ankle and dragged on the floor at a school in Marietta, Georgia. The incident is believed to have happened on August 15 at Tritt Elementary School, a place the Wendell family wanted the child to attend because of its good reputation.

The alleged dragging incident wasn’t being investigated until the child’s parent heard about it from a fourth-grade student. The parent then emailed the school’s principal, Tricia Patterson. She urgently alerted district leaders to the incident, Cobb schools spokesman, Jay Dillon, said on Thursday.

As the police report reveals, a paraprofessional in the classroom told law enforcement that a student was not listening, following directions, or staying in his seat. Bingham then “grabbed a student by the ankle and dragged him across the classroom, causing him to hit his head on the floor.”

The teacher dragged the boy again when she grabbed his ankle and dragged him “out the classroom, down the hallway and to the front office.”

In an interview the teacher gave on Tuesday, a report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution documents Ms. Bingham as saying she “scooped him up.” Bingham adds that she “had to grab him by the leg to get him to move.”

Judy Bingham was released Wednesday on $5,000 bond from Cobb County Jail. The official arrest warrant AJC reviewed states that “the accused also dragged the victim by the ankle out of the classroom, down a hallway and to the front office while other students were watching.”

Spokesman Jay Dillon told the media they “don’t comment on personnel matters” and that the teacher “is no longer in the classroom.” A letter from the school’s principal to the student’s parents informed them that Bingham is no longer teaching at the school, and are seeking a “qualified replacement” to take over.

News of this gross violation shocks a lot of parents. The father of one student tells 11 Alive that he’s heard nothing but positive things about the elementary school until they heard about a student allegedly being dragged by a teacher.

“It’s a really well-known, well-taught school. We wanted to have our kids in a good environment, so hopefully, they’ll work things out and take care of it.”

[Image via 11 Alive]