A former special education teacher at a Rockdale County elementary school was arrested Tuesday on two counts of first-degree cruelty to children after an alleged victim’s parents reported her to Conyers police.
Janice Foot, 58, of Lithonia, was fired from her position at C.J. Hicks Elementary School prior to her arrest, Conyers police spokesman Lt. Quantavis Garcia said in a statement. The parents of one of the children involved reported Foot to police Nov. 8, and detectives opened an investigation to determine if criminal charges would be appropriate.
Investigators were able to review video and audio from the classroom. Garcia said detectives believe Foot was attempting to punish two 5-year-olds by forcibly holding their heads against their desks, preventing them from watching a video with the rest of the class.
Garcia did not say how long the children’s heads were allegedly held down, but police did note scratch marks and bruising on their heads. Police did not say when the alleged incidents took place or when Foot was fired.
A spokeswoman for the Rockdale school system said she could not comment on the matter due to personnel and student privacy laws, but she confirmed that Foot was terminated the same day the report was made to police. Foot had worked for the system for a little more than five years.
“Rockdale County Public Schools expects all employees to conduct themselves professionally and ethically in providing a positive teaching and learning environment for students and staff,” the spokeswoman said. “We support our law enforcement partners who investigate these matters and bring charges to anyone who allegedly harms a child.”
Foot was booked into jail Tuesday and released later the same day on $10,000 bond, online records show.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Conyers Police Department’s criminal investigations division at 770-929-4203.
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