An Atlanta Public Schools teacher's aide has been arrested for allegedly putting his hands on a special needs student at Harper-Archer Middle School.
Alger Coleman is no longer employed by the district and has been arrested on charges of first degree cruelty to children and battery, according to Channel 2 Action News.
An unidentified special education teacher secretly recorded multiple incidents that allege to show Coleman and another aide, who has not been identified or arrested, abusing students, the television station reported.
The second aide, a woman, has been reassigned and is still employed by the district, according to Channel 2.
The mother of one of the children in the video told the TV station the school never contacted her to let her know her son had been a victim of the alleged abuse.
"I actually got the call through (the Division of Family and Children Services)," she said in an interview. "The school never notified me of this incident. Never."
APS officials told Channel 2 there isn't much they can say about the aides or the video because the issues are personnel-related.
The unidentified special education teacher said she told school officials she'd seen children being mistreated, but nothing was done. She decided to secretly tape the incidents, with the hope something would be done if there was video evidence.
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