Laurie Peavy and Nancy Cheek - Woodstock, GA

A Georgia teacher and her classroom aide have been arrested for allegedly duct-taping a boy with Autism to his chair on multiple occasions. The abuse was not reported for over a year after it occurred. The two educators are also accused of confining a blind girl under the teacher's desk. Laurie Peavy and Nancy Cheek have both been charged with first-degree cruelty to children and false imprisonment. Peavy faces two counts of each, while Cheek is charged with one count of each offense.

http://www.disaboomlive.com/Blogs/disabled_politico/archive/2009/05/21/teacher-and-classroom-aide-arrested-for-allegedly-abusing-student-with-autism-and-blind-student.aspx

Janice Ricks - Forsyth, GA

A former Monroe County special education teacher is scheduled to turn herself in to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office following allegations of cruelty to children, officials said.


The sheriff’s office issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for Janice Ricks on two counts of cruelty to children, said Allison Selman-Willis, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

Selman-Willis said investigators are keeping some of the details of the case quiet until it’s turned over to the District Attorney’s Office, but one of the counts involved “thumping” a child.

“Some of the other children had marks on them,” Selman-Willis said.

Ricks, who resigned from her teaching job at T.G. Scott Elementary School a couple of weeks ago, taught special needs children ages 3-5.

Selman-Willis said another employee of the school system noticed the bruising on the children and reported it to the school system, which brought in the sheriff’s office to investigate Jan. 20.
http://www.mymcr.net/articles/2010/02/11/news/doc4b71fb96409ec556350127.txt

Sherri Jones - Atlanta, GA

"I knew something was really wrong for the first time on September 8th," said Stefan's mother, Carolyn Ferrari. That's when she said Stefan came home with bloody scratches, bruises and ripped shorts. His behavior over the next month deteriorated.

"It was getting worse and worse," Carolyn said. Marcelo and Carolyn Ferrari say they repeatedly told school officials they were concerned. So the mother of a boy without a voice found a way to give him one.

"It's about the size of a quarter," Carolyn said about a microphone she sewed into Stefan's shirt. She sent him to school with it on October 21.

It would be his last day at Marshall.

"As soon as he took his boxers off to get in the shower, I noticed it," said Stefan's father, Marcelo Ferrari. "And I was like, 'oh my God'."

Marcelo was shocked by the severe bruising covering his son's legs. He and his wife went straight to the tape.

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=73974&catid=63