Posted on 01/14/2025 8:24:18 PM PST by Morgana
Disturbing footage has appeared to show a Maryland elementary school principal stomping on the foot of an autistic kindergartner.
Former Ritchie Park Elementary School Principal Andrew Winter, 54, was acquitted of assault charges related to the February 9 incident.
However, shocking video obtained by FOX 5 captured the moment he allegedly stepped on the six-year-old's foot.
Winter, wearing a green jersey, was filmed in the cafeteria allegedly grabbing the child and forcing him to sit down at the table.
He then appeared to look around before he stomped on the kid's foot, causing the autistic child to cry.
Winter was arrested and charged with second-degree assault in June following a joint investigation by the Rockville City Police Department and the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office.
He was put on leave until a judge acquitted him of all charges following a five-hour long bench trial in November, reported Bethesda Magazine.
Montgomery County Circuit Judge Sharon Burrell determined there was not enough evidence to convict.
'The allegations against Mr. Winter were tested in a court of law and a judge threw the case out without Mr. Winter even having to testify,' said Winter's attorney Dave Martella.
'Some people want to rely on one video from one angle to draw conclusions about Mr. Winter's conduct and as we know from watching any NFL football game, one angle often does not show you what actually happened.'
The student's mother said she was shocked by the judge's decision and told the local news station 'it doesn't mean that he is innocent.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Montgomery Countyis trying to mainstream many of these kids and they just don’t have the properly trained staff.
After the principal is fired from his job, preferably.
Mainstreaming has been the law (Public Law 94-142) since 1975.
They have had nearly 50 years to get it right.
They shouldn’t be “trying,” they should be doing. They get boatloads of extra money for each pupil on an ARD to provide additional assistance, tools, training, and support staff. Where is the school spending it?
Maybe they should consult the Mansfield ISD in Texas. They have a great support system; lots of their spectrum kids graduate and go on to college.
And the principals are not stomping on feet. That could get someone shot down here.
Not angry at you, cnsmom. Just upset at a system that diverts resources from their intended purpose. Happens a lot.
“Montgomery Countyis trying to mainstream many of these kids and they just don’t have the properly trained staff.”
I’m wondering if more and more schools are doing this so they don’t have to have properly trained staff.
I’m not watching the video because it makes me sick to think about. Amputation of the principals leg used for the stomping would be considered OT punishment. Just saying.
Mainstreaming has been around but some schools had certain classrooms that had special teachers to deal with special needs kids. The kid might attend that school but spend a lot of time in just that class room with that teacher and helpers.
I’ve known a few special ed teachers and they have talked about how their class rooms are ran. It’s different than regular class. For instance one teacher explained to me how she had to deal with autistic kids and a fire drill. I can’t remember all she said but from what I remember it was (in my words) like trying to get a feral cat out of the room calmly.
I think what cnsmom is talking about is doing away with special ed teachers and classrooms.
I think if you mainstream.some kids need a one on one aide.
Communists stick together...
Then that is not mainstreaming them. If they need one on one they need special ed and should be in a special class room where they can get it.
That is the problem with mainstreaming. Mainstreaming means just that, mainstreaming. The reason all the other kids are mainstreamed is because they don’t need one on one.
Some parents even put their special needs kids in mainstreaming thinking it will get them “better” education when in fact it won’t be better for the child it will be worse. In special education the child would have “one on one” and that is what the child needs.
If people start that with mainstreaming then all they will do is eliminate mainstreaming and have nothing but special ed for everyone.
Like birds of a feather.
💯.
Evil lowlife - I’ll bet he’s a democrat and hates Trump.
And what do we do with the kids? Shove them aside? Lock them up in a Regrets Room?
This is a huge sore spot for me. I was a teacher (until I quickly learned I could earn a lot more in the private sector) and served on the Financial Futures Committee for another school district. It was not uncommon to hear stories from teachers about how funds given for a specific purpose were diverted to other purposes.
My eldest child graduated Magna Cum Laude from college, speaks several languages, plays guitar and violin, won district and regional competitions in chess, constitutional law, history, and academic decathlon. He was named MVP of his high school choir, was also in show choir, and played football. He’s married and working at as a law clerk, earning enough to support his family in a lovely two-bedroom apartment, new car, and saving for a home. He is on the spectrum.
My middle child just graduated with his Associate’s in Science (3.95 cum GPA) while simultaneously earning an ASL certification. Aside from being a supplemental instructor through the college in Microbiology (he earned the highest marks on tests that the department chair had seen since 2019), he also works 30 hours a week at a job, pays all his bills, and pays us rent. He will be returning to college in the fall after we move and pursuing an advanced degree in Microbiology. He has won awards for engineering, art, and competitions in Taekwondo. He is on the spectrum.
My youngest just graduated high school with honors and won awards in business, computer science, leadership, and The Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. He just got engaged to his girlfriend. He will be starting college after we move. He is on the spectrum.
Not every kid on the spectrum is feral. Some of them are quite talented and brilliant, will outperform their “normal” peers, and are divergent learners. They are in good company. Other divergent learners include Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Walt Disney.
Last, but certainly not least, the federal government confiscates my hard-earned money in the form of taxes and claims part of the reason is to educate my kids. I pay outrageous property taxes to support the schools. I continue to pay whether I have kids in the school or not, because I want that same support system that helped my kids excel to be there for other parents.
These are innocent, young human beings, with lives and souls. Unless they pose a danger to themselves and others, they deserve the same privileges we afford every other child - to use the facilities, share the spaces, be part of society, and be educated.
I am more upset about the thousands of illegals taking resources than the mainstreaming of kids on the spectrum.
I think hes probably going to be mugged pretty soon in the future.
What kind of training does a 54 year old adult need to stop themselves from looking around and then stomping on a kids foot?
I think in general they are pretty quick to label boys as defective now, for being boys. Primarily because the schools are so heavily biased by way more over-representation of women in teaching and admi istration, increasingly the lazt 50 years. Boys arent girls but if everyone in charge are women, because boys dont act like girls, the women label the boys as problems. No, they need real straight men around as good role models and proper disciplinarians. But the women have systematically removed these men from educationa and taken over these places.
I have a "special-needs" child, and expect that these teachers would have to have the patience of a saint to manage these children during a fire drill (with sirens wailing).
Regards,
This is not an activity issue or a behavioral issue based on gender; my children and I process information differently from others.
Approximately 5% of the population are divergent learners; schools are structured for the 95%.
Retention, attention, and more can be impacted due to this information processing difference. I was considered a sub-par student in grade school because I have the same condition. By high school, I was in the top 1% of my class in all honors classes. College was a cake-walk.
I learned coping mechanisms before that was even a field of study. I notice things people don’t and can react quickly in any situation. The information overload can be overwhelming to young minds or lead to poor performance in a standardized classroom.
These kids should not be shoved aside.
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