A Cobb County kindergarten teacher is accused of dragging a misbehaving student by the ankle across a classroom and to the school’s front office.
Judy Evon Bingham, a teacher at Tritt Elementary school in east Cobb, allegedly grabbed the boy by the ankle, causing him to hit his head on the floor, according to an arrest warrant and incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.”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,” the warrant states.
Bingham, 48, of Marietta, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at her home and charged with cruelty to children in the first degree, a felony, and simple battery, Cobb County jail records showed. She was released late Wednesday after posting $5,000 bond.
The abuse allegedly happened on Aug. 15, but the boy’s parents only learned of the incident in recent days from a neighbor’s child, according to the school system police report. After being told about the alleged incident, Principal Tricia Patterson immediately notified district leaders, Cobb schools spokesman Jay Dillon said Thursday.
On Tuesday, a school police officer interviewed the paraprofessional who was in Bingham’s classroom the day of the alleged incident, according to the school police report. That woman said that while other students were seated in a circle on the classroom floor, one student would not sit and follow directions. When Bingham tried to talk to the boy, he ran from her, the parapro said.
When Bingham returned to the classroom, she told the paraprofessional she had dragged the boy to the front office, but gave the impression that school administrators were aware, the report states.
In an interview Tuesday, Bingham said she had not dragged the boy.
“Ms. Bingham said she, ‘scooped him up,’” the report states. “Ms. Bingham said she had to grab him by the leg to get him to move.”
The school district declined to comment about the ongoing personnel matter. But a letter sent home with parents said Bingham will not be returning to the school.
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