ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WJAR) — An Attleboro mother is speaking out after she said her 5-year-old son was assaulted by his special education teacher at Thacher Elementary School.
Susan Martin, a teacher at the school, has been charged with two counts of assault and battery on a person with an intellectual disability.
According to police, Martin slapped two students, including Preston Whitfield, during separate incidents in her classroom on the same day.
Preston’s mother, Joy Whitfield, shared her story in an exclusive interview with NBC 10.
Whitfield said she was blindsided when she learned her son had been involved in the criminal investigation.
“Never did I think that that was going to be a thing, so I’m still living in shock,” she said.
According to the criminal complaint, one incident occurred during a lesson when Preston, who is nonverbal and autistic, attempted to stand up.
Investigators said Martin pushed him down, and when Preston swung his arm at her, she responded by slapping him across the face.
Whitfield said her son’s inability to communicate only adds to the heartbreak.
“It literally is a special needs parent’s worst nightmare… He can’t even come home and tell me,” she said.
The complaint also reveals that school officials delayed notifying police.
Administrators learned about the incidents around 1 p.m., but did not contact law enforcement until more than three hours later.
In a statement, Attleboro Public Schools Superintendent David Sawyer said, “We have taken this situation very seriously since it was brought to our attention, and we are committed to collaborating with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation.”
Whitfield described her son as “spicy” and full of life, but said the ordeal has shaken her trust in the school system.
“She was grabbing him by his wrist, she was pulling him, pulling his arms behind his back… things that would have never been necessary,” she said of Martin’s alleged behavior.
Whitfield has since removed Preston from the school, a decision she said was difficult, but necessary.
“It was so hard. But to me, the bigger picture was like, I have no idea if he experienced trauma, if there’s things that bring him PTSD,” she said. “How can you learn in an environment where you don’t feel safe?”
Whitfield hopes Martin faces justice and that the case sends a message to others.
“I am so hopeful that she stays in prison and that she has to recall every day what she did to these innocent children who didn’t deserve any of this,” she said.
Martin was arraigned Monday and released on personal recognizance.
She has been ordered to avoid unsupervised contact with the victims or any children under 16.