The Okeechobee school board voted 3-2 to not fire Seminole Paraprofessional Elaine Murphy for pulling the hair of a 6 year old ESE student Tuesday. They did approve a suspension without pay from April until the end of the school year. It is likely Murphy will be reassigned to another position. Two eye witnesses claimed she pulled the child’s hair near the bus stop in mid-January. Murphy admitted the hair was pulled but that the hair had gotten caught in her jewelry and it was all an accident. No criminal charges were filed. DCF advised Murphy not be a caregiver of children. Her Attorney Mark Wilensky says his client was pleased with the decision. School Board member Gay Carlton, one of two dissenting votes, said she worried about the message this will send to parents and that safety of students should be the board’s top priority. The following video is from the meeting yesterday. Video credit to Charles Murphy. -TM
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:33:00 +0000