Kelly Chaffins, Christy Wilt, Ohio Educators, Face Accusations Of Child Abuse In Classroom

"No wonder you don't have friends."

"No wonder nobody likes you."

Most would assume comments like those were the result of your typical playground bullying between children. Awful, but almost unavoidable. In the case of a 14-year-old special needs student at Miami Trace Middle School in Ohio, however, the abuse actually came from a teacher, and a former teacher's aide last spring, WBNS reported.

After continuous complaints from the girl, her parents decided that before they took action, they needed proof ... and hid a tape recorder in their daughter's clothing. What they picked up has sparked shock and outrage -- the educators were calling the child lazy and dumb.

"Don't you want to do something about that belly," the recording obtained by WBNS reveals former teaching aide Kelly Chaffins saying to the student.

"Yes," the girl responded.

"Well, evidently you don't because you don't do anything at home," Chaffins said. "You sit at home and watch TV."

Audio also reveals the girl was made to run on a treadmill while the speed increased. Since presenting the school with the evidence against the pair, district officials demanded Chaffins resign, which she did, but not Wilt.

Miami Trace Superintendent Dan Roberts told the station Wilt's involvement with the alleged abuse "did not meet what the educational aide had done."

According to a consent agreement signed by Wilt and the state's superintendent of public instruction, she "engaged in conduct unbecoming to the teaching profession when she made inappropriate comments to a student with disabilities and allowed a co-worker to make inappropriate comments to a student with disabilities," the Columbus Dispatch reported.

Instead of resignation, Wilt will undergo a probation period, as well as eight hours of mandatory training in "how to recognize child abuse and stop bullying."

The girl's parents sued, and the school district subsequently paid $300,000 in damages.

After a law allowing verbal bullying in schools by teachers and students as long as it was backed by religious beliefs or "strong moral convictions" was passed in the Michigan state Senate, lawmakers in the house have responded to a wave of controversy and vowed to make changes that "provide protection to all students."

Comments

[Ally Gater]

01:29 AM on 11/28/2011

as a future special educator, i find this downright appalling!!

[jschoolgreg]

02:30 PM on 11/23/2011

Why is this school district allowing Christine Wilt back to teach? She and her counterpart, Kelly Chaffins, cost district taxpayers $300,000 in a settlement agreement. That's absurd to allow Wilt to return.

School districts think they're all high and mighty until media and legal representation step in. Take your hierarchical approach to leadership and go. You saw what happened at UC-Davis to their chancellor? Despite a different set of circumstances, let that be a lesson.

[leyvadaniel]

11:20 AM on 11/23/2011

Maybe the real problem are these laws that exempt religious people from obeying the law. if most of us pay more taxes than religious institutions, why religious people get special rights? is the right to bully in the name of religion even constitutional? what happened to the laws protecting children from abuse? What now? A religious leader can abuse anyone and it is ok because the person is religious?

[wacado]

10:35 PM on 11/19/2011

Shame on these teachers.

[Paul1965]

02:06 PM on 11/18/2011

apparently these two "ladies" have handicaps of the heart ...

[Kyle William FitzPatrick]

06:52 AM on 11/18/2011

Ms. Wilt's email address is [e-mail]
You can find it on the school website.
Feel free to drop her a line.

[wacado]

10:36 PM on 11/19/2011

Thanks

[KikiTN]

12:54 PM on 11/17/2011

Working with special needs children requires lots of patience and understanding. These woman were never suited to work with any children. They are better fit to work as wardens in a maximum security prison for violent men. That's where they BELONG!!!

[NemoGirl]

10:34 PM on 11/16/2011

'After a law allowing verbal bullying in schools by teachers and students as long as it was backed by religious beliefs or "strong moral convictions" was passed in the Michigan state Senate...'

What is going on in Michigan? How could such a law pass given all of the recent incidents of bullying occurring and the cases of children attempting suicide to escape their tormentors?! What message does such a law send to our children?

[ljrphoto]

03:44 PM on 11/19/2011

The language was dropped from the bill under pressure from the public.

[NemoGirl]

10:27 PM on 11/16/2011

Instead of resignation, Wilt will undergo a probation period, as well as eight hours of mandatory training in "how to recognize child abuse and stop bullying." -- What the hell?

Okay, don't fire her. However, make her work midnights on janitorial duty until retirement. Not only should she not work with special needs children, she shouldn't work with any children. Can you imagine if you lived in this school district and your child was assigned to this woman's classroom next year?

[Ally Gater]

01:42 AM on 11/28/2011

this is similar to the situation we had in PA where the one teacher was reprimanded (but did not have ample grounds to fire her) for comments she made on her personal blog about some of the things she really wished she could say to parents about her students performances and personalities. the school board didn't fire her last i heard BUT they did give the parents say as to whether or not they wanted their child in her classroom.. and at the beginning of this last school year, according to her blog, her classroom wasn't at zero but it was down significantly.

but after what this teacher was involved in, i feel as though the school board should definitely give the parents a say as to whether or not they want their child in her classroom or want them placed with another teacher if she is going to be their teacher for the upcoming school year. i believe it is only fair..

[MT parent]

01:19 PM on 11/16/2011

I read in another article that the superintendant says they are not allowed to tell their story from the districts standpoint. What exactly could they say that would make this treatment of a child any less wrong! How would Christy Wilt or Kelly Chaffins feel if their children were treated like this by anyone....let alone teachers. I went to Miami Trace and my 2 grown sons went there and I have 2 children that go there now. I feel that no parent should have to put a tape recorder on their child to prove that their child is being verbally abused and called a liar until they have audio proof. Maybe all class rooms should have tape recorders that the teachers know about but have no access to. I bet those teachers wouldn't have gotten away with there bullying as long as they did.....and probably wouldn't have said what they did during those 4 days they were secretly recorded. I had a 1st grade teacher and principle at Chaffin school and to this day I haven't forgotten how cruel they were to me at times. Children do remember how they are treated by people whether they are special needs children or not and how they are treated by teachers can even affect how other students treat them. Of all places school should be a one of the places where you feel accepted....not belittled and disrespected.

[buffy1996]

07:47 PM on 11/15/2011

She needs to be terminated and those two should never be allowed to be around children!

[John Shaw]

07:07 PM on 11/15/2011

notice a trend on how white women get off with much lighter sentences than brownies...

[TarzanaGirl]

10:17 PM on 11/16/2011

As a "white woman" and someone who has worked for Children's Services, I would have to respectfully disagree with your comment my friend.

[Ally Gater]

01:31 AM on 11/28/2011

uhh.. DISAGREEEE!

[Maureen FrushaBoutwell]

03:39 PM on 11/15/2011

Considering the recent issues of these past weeks, I'd say that the teachers as well as administrators, right on up to the superintendent, should be fired ASAP. If it's good enough for Penn State, then it's good enough for a middle school in Ohio.

[Lisa Heinrichs]

01:09 PM on 11/15/2011

Call me redneck, but these two should be taken out and have the s**t stomped out of them! I'm in complete agreement with NEVER being allowed to teach or have contact of any kind with children also. Where does Chaffin get off making comments about anyones weight either!! Just saying...

[Ricky Timothy Vargas]

11:43 AM on 11/15/2011

I'm sorry, but not only do these 2 "teachers" deserve the right to never teach again, but they also deserve to have both of their asses kicked!! What they put that sweet, little girl through was both cruel & inhumane!! Todays spelling word for the day boys & girls is: KARMA!

[Samantha12345]

12:39 PM on 11/15/2011

Agreed Ricky. They are both a disgrace. Not only to all teachers, but also to the entire human race. Shameful.

[Lisa Heinrichs]

01:04 PM on 11/15/2011

I like the way you think!