More information is being released on the accusation of a Guthrie Junior High special education teacher, who has been charged with assault and battery upon a special needs student. The incident is reported to have happen in January.
On Friday, the Logan County District Attorney’s Office filed one charge against Patricia Elizabeth Catlin, 59, in connection with an incident alleged to have occurred at Guthrie Junior High School. Related story: Junior High teacher accused of assault on special education student
Catlin is expected to appear voluntarily before a district court judge on March 1 to be formally served with the charges.
Related story: School board accepts resignation of accused special education teacher
The twelve-year-old male student is described as a special needs student, who has cerebral palsy and is greatly impaired in his verbal communication skills.
According to court papers, Catlin is said to have forcefully grabbed the student by his arms and jerking him in attempt to extract him from his desk while screaming at the non-verbal student to “use his words” on Jan. 21.
Catlin denied the allegations to School Resource Officer and Guthrie Police Department’s Sgt. Anthony Gibbs when questioned.
The student was brought into the classroom by a teacher’s aide, who says the student did not want to participate in the physical education class. Once in the classroom, Catlin said she tried to get the student to go to the gym class by saying, “give me your hand. Lets go to P.E.” Catlin said that is when he jerked his hand away and began to kick and throw a fit.
“Supposedly it went from that to I was trying to jerk him out of the chair,” Catlin told Sgt. Gibbs.
In a nearby classroom, two teachers said they could hear whimpering, yelling and screaming. The first teacher to enter the classroom says she saw Catlin had the desk up off the ground with the student in it and “trying to flip it over” to get the student out, but says the student was able to stop the attempt by holding onto a nearby desk. The teacher said she became angry when Catlin was in the student’s face screaming at him.
Catlin told Sgt. Gibbs she could not believe the allegations.
“Heavens to Betsy. I would never hurt one of my kids. I didn’t even sleep last night. For someone to accuse me of trying to hurt him. It just breaks my heart.”
Catlin says she put her hands on the student’s desk because he began to move his desk toward another desk and she became concerned he would hit his head and possibly hurt himself. She says she position herself in front of the desk and did not have the strength to turn it sideways.
The teacher’s aide told the officer she saw Catlin grasp the student’s arm with both hands and shook him. She says the student began to cry.
The aide later told Sgt. Gibbbs that Catlin did not want the student in her class from the beginning. “I’m just going to give him to you (aide) then because I (Catlin) can’t deal with him.”
Two students also gave statements to school officials.
The following day, Catlin met with Assistant Superintendent Doug Ogle and Junior High Principal Robbie Rainwater. In Sgt. Gibbs’ report, Catlin said, “I’ve got to go. I can’t be here. I’ve got to go” after being questioned about the event.
Catlin says she was written up for pulling the student out of the desk.
“I’m not allowed to jerk on them or anything, that’s considered restraint,” Catlin told the officer. She admitted she attended two training sessions (Nonviolent Crisis Intervention) required by the school in restraint training when a student is physically defiant.
The misdemeanor crime is punishable up to one year in the county jail and/or a maximum $2,000 fine if found guilty.
Parents question the teacher’s patience
In a meeting with Sgt. Gibbs at the police department, the student’s parents, who wanted to prosecute the case, feel Mrs. Catlin does not have the patience to handle his medical conditions.
The boy’s mother says she is concern he may have been having a seizure instead of being defiant.
The officer and parents observed bruising on one arm and scratches on the inside of each arm.
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