A former West Shore School District special-education teacher who was accused of mistreating students with disabilities has lost her right to teach in the state for two years.
Danielle E. Harmer gave up her right to a state Education Department hearing on the complaints in exchange for the suspension of her teacher certificate until June 2011 and dismissal of complaints, according to a department report issued Nov. 30.
According to documents supplied by the state Education Department, Harmer was accused of inflicting physical and psychological pain on autistic students in her class during the 2005-06 school year. She also was accused of verbally abusing aides and of willfully refusing to follow district orders.
A complaint that Harmer had engaged in professional misconduct was filed with the department in November 2006. The department, which did not reveal the source of the complaint, notified Harmer in November 2008.
Some complaints and Harmer’s responses include:
Complaint: "Allowing [a student] to run around the classroom in his underwear or nude."
Complaint: "Using students’ shirts to wipe up water and requiring the students to wear the shirts when the students spilled water."
Complaint: "Removing students’ shirts as punishment."
Complaint: "Force-feeding [a student] left-over food, causing [the student] to gag and cry."
Complaint: "Pushing [a student] into his chair and grabbing him by his hair and shirt collar."
Complaint: "Placing mints in [a student’s] mouth, which [he] did not like, to stop [him] from spitting," and "Shaking a container of mints at [him] when he was misbehaving."
Complaint: "Placing a student’s hand in his mouth to stop him from biting."
In another matter unrelated to the Harmer case, the school board in November approved a $31,506 settlement with parents of a special-education student to compensate them for legal expenses.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/12/west_shore_school_district_tea.html
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