Ohio teacher charged with felony after allegedly assaulting 7-year-old special needs student

An Ohio teacher has been charged with felony assault after she allegedly slapped a special needs child in an incident caught on camera, local TV reported.

Jodi Grafmiller allegedly slapped a 7-year-old non-verbal autistic student at Hayes Elementary School last month, 10TV of Columbus reported.

The teacher was first charged with misdemeanors for assault and endangering a child, but those charges were later upgraded to felony assault.

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan told 10TV a caregiver assaulting a functionally impaired person is a felony under state law.

The incident was first reported by another staff member and the child’s mother, Page Fredrick, was notified. She asked the TV channel to investigate, which obtained a copy of the incident video from the prosecutor’s office.

“It was heart-wrenching. I was very upset, devastated,” Frederick told 10TV. “Like I have a nonverbal autistic child. One of my worst fears happened in a so-called safe place while I’m at work.”

The school has placed Grafmiller on leave while it investigates the incident, stating, “The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority.”

Grafmiller is due in court Dec. 2, 10TV reports.

Frederick told the channel she’s considering filing a civil lawsuit.

School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis posted about the incident and revealed that Grafmiller had won a 2023-2034 grant from the Marion Community Foundation to help “underprivileged students with disabilities, such as autism, brain injuries, and physical limitations.”

GJ, who describes herself on X as a “Christian Truth Seeker (and) Child Advocate,” said “we know that often children with special needs are the victims, especially the non-verbal. Zero tolerance with licensure removal so she/he may never be around children PERIOD…Makes my blood boil.”