« Man facing sexual assault of child charges | Main | Evansdale man pleads to sexual abuse charges »
December 04, 2004
Report Reveals Shocking New Details About Teacher
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- Punching, swearing and throwing children across the room, details in a new report that lists the horrific allegations of abuse by Seminole County teacher Kathy Garrett.
The report, released Friday, morning is revealing new details the school board has known about for years regarding a teacher accused of abusing her autistic students. Garrett resigned from her job at South Seminole Middle School two weeks ago and currently faces nine counts of aggravated child abuse.
The report details all of the allegations that have been made public, and more. There are new allegations that Garrett not only abused children over a course of years, but also surfed swinger websites trying to find couples for adult encounters, instead of teaching kids.
The report includes interviews with teacher's aides who say Garrett showed them bondage pictures of herself and who reportedly considered herself a dominatrix and regularly discussed her sexual lifestyle loudly in the presence of her students. She also allegedly kept pictures of herself on the school computers.
The report details one allegation that Garrett laid her body on a child until his "lips were turning blue and his eyes were bulging." When the child cried, Garrett reportedly said, "F--- you. Stop that crying."
On one occasion, an aide reports that Garrett bent a child's thumb backward for 30 seconds while the child screamed in pain. Her aides say they were instructed to spank children who wet their pants.
Garrett is also described picking up non-compliant children and flinging them across the room. Then, on another day, Garrett pushed an autistic child's face into his own vomit.
One aide even told investigators that Garrett told parents to send more lunch money than the children needed and Garrett would allegedly keep the extra money.
Parents can't believe what they've read Friday morning.
"I don't even know what to say. I'm very rarely left speechless, but after reading these reports and knowing my daughter had to witness that five years ago, I literally am left speechless. I don't understand it at all," says parent Carol Goings.
"I am very angry, but, at the same time, I feel sorry for her, because it's a sick person, a sick mind, and she's gonna pay for it, whether it's here or up there," says parent Annie Baez.
The most disturbing part of the report is that the allegation date back years and include several references to former assistant principal Josephine Oppisso, a woman who aides say they told about the abuse and the computer pornography back as early as December of 2001.
But, the investigation is not over. In fact, the district has hired an independent investigator to look into who knew what and when. That investigation will likely be used to determine if any other disciplinary action will be taken.
Posted by Nealus at December 4, 2004 01:41 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
