Texas superintendent resigns after allegedly concealing abuse of nonverbal, autistic boy

A Texas superintendent has resigned after she and two teachers were arrested in connection with alleged abuse of special education students.

Dr. Mari “Edie” Martin resigned from Millsap ISD Monday, a small district outside Fort Worth, following allegations she concealed the reported abuse.

A paraprofessional recorded a cell phone video Feb. 18 showing teacher Jennifer Dale, 44, winding up and making a striking motion toward a 10-year-old, nonverbal autistic student.

The footage does not reveal whether her hand made contact, but moments later, paraprofessional Paxton Bean, 25, yells at the child, hits him three times with a toy and then throws the toy at him.

Both Dale and Bean were charged with official oppression.

An investigation found that Dale “intentionally mocked, mistreated and tormented three victims,” arrest documents say, according to CBS News Texas.

The channel also reported that Bean allegedly punched a student in the face, giving him a bloody nose, but told officials the child accidentally ran into a wall.

Bean faces an additional charge of injury to a child with intentional bodily injury, likely in connection with that incident. 

Other reports include that the teachers bathed the boy naked in front of his peers, making comments about his genitalia, and that they kept him confined in a time-out room, possibly for long periods of time. 

Both Bean and Dale no longer work for the district, media reported. 

Martin was charged with failure to report/intent to conceal because after viewing the video, which was shot by Jami Riggs, she allegedly told Riggs to delete it and keep quiet. Martin hired a private investigator but did not alert the victim’s parents, state officials or law enforcement until several weeks later. 

Members of the community rejoiced at Martin’s resignation, saying they wanted to ensure this type of abuse “never happens again.” The school board accepted her resignation unanimously and said she would not receive a severance payment. 

The principal and vice principal of the elementary school where the alleged abuse took place are also on leave. The school board passed a rule Monday prohibiting staff from supervising an immediate family member. Bean is the daughter of the school’s principal, Fox 4 reported. 

However, a mom of a 4-year-old autistic child in a nearby district said Bean has since been hired to work at her son’s school. 

This is the latest in a series of reports of abuse in special education classrooms, including an October incident in Ohio where a teacher allegedly struck a 7-year-old nonverbal autistic student. 

Jodi Grafmiller was charged with felony assault after the incident was caught on camera and reported to school officials.