Wake elementary school instructional assistant charged with child abuse of a student
A Wake County elementary school instructional assistant has resigned after being arrested on charges of injuring a student under her supervision.
Court records show that Zebulon Police charged Shirley Richardson, 62, on Thursday with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse while working at Wakelon Elementary School. She’s accused of bruising a student’s forearm and putting the child at additional risk of physical injury by pinning him between mats and a bookshelf on May 2.
“The safety of our children is of the utmost importance,” the Zebulon Police Department said in a Facebook post Thursday. “We appreciate the cooperation of the Wake County Public School System as our staff conducted the investigation.”
Richardson was released from the Wake County jail on a $1,000 on secured bond.
The Wake County school system says Richardson, who had started as a substitute teacher in 2004, submitted her resignation Thursday. This comes after Wakelon Principal Dena Nealy told parents that Richardson had been suspended.
Richardson worked in special programs at Wakelon. But it’s not immediately clear whether the child she’s accused of abusing is a special-needs student.
3 Wake school workers arrested
Richardson is at least the third Wake County elementary school employee charged this school year with abusing or assaulting a student. All three employees work with students with disabilities.
▪ In December, an instructional assistant at East Garner Elementary School was charged with one count each of misdemeanor assault on a child under 12, misdemeanor assault on an individual with disabilities and misdemeanor child abuse.
Tiffany Krystine Ebron is accused of dragging a 9-year-old student by the feet across the floor after having lifted him by the feet, which caused his head to hit the floor.
Wake says her last day of employment was Feb. 29. She had worked in Wake since 2019.
▪ In February, a teacher at Carver Elementary School was charged with one count of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of misdemeanor assault on an individual with a disability.
Lori Miller Holland is accused of “unlawfully” assaulting a student with a disability by “dragging” the child “down the hallway at the school.”
Wake says Holland’s last day of employment was April 1. She had started in Wake as a substitute teacher in 2012.
The criminal cases against Ebron and Holland are pending.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 10:01 AM.
