A Florida teacher and her aide are facing charges for tying a seven-year-old student with autism to a chair, NBC Miami reports.
The incident unfolded last week at G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School in Bradenton.
Security footage showed Carina Chindamo, an Exceptional Student Education teacher, and Taylor Internicola, a teacher's aide, tying the seven-year-old boy's wrist with a walking rope used to teach students how to walk in a line. In the footage, the rope was wrapped around the leg of a chair as the boy sat on the ground nearby.
Police said the elementary student, who is non-verbal, was restrained for about an hour. Chindamo and Internicola also sat on the chair, "appearing to use their weight to keep the child from getting free."
The pair are expected to be charged with false imprisonment. Chindamo was taken into custody on Tuesday (February 6) while Internicola hadn't been arrested yet.
School officials said the principal notified the child's mother of the incident after it was caught on surveillance footage and reported the abuse.
In a statement, the Manatee County Schools district called the situation "disturbing and reprehensible."
"The District has been fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this active investigation. All of our protocols have been followed, including the employees’ removal from the classroom immediately after the incident was reported and reassignment to other District locations where students are not present," the district said.
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