Teacher dragged 9-year-old student with epilepsy across the ground: how she was punished

The Civil Service Disciplinary Court ordered the immediate dismissal of an Israeli teacher who dragged a 9-year-old student with epilepsy across the ground in January 2019. She was also permanently banned from working in the Ministry of Education and in the civil service. Previously, a criminal court sentenced her to community service and a suspended sentence.

The Civil Service Disciplinary Court ordered the immediate dismissal of an Israeli teacher who used physical force against a 9-year-old student with special needs. She was also permanently banned from working in the Ministry of Education and in the civil service. The incident occurred in January 2019. The child, who was studying in the special education system, refused to go to the school bus. The boy was diagnosed with attention deficits, behavioral difficulties, and epilepsy. The teacher grabbed him firmly by the hands and tried to take him out of the building. When the child sat on the ground, she grabbed him by the straps of his backpack and dragged him several meters across the schoolyard. The boy screamed and cried. During this, his pants and underwear slipped down, and his exposed buttock was injured from friction against the yard surface. The teacher stopped only after another teacher saw what was happening and shouted, "What are you doing?" The case was initially handled in criminal proceedings. The court sentenced the teacher to four months of community service, which she has already completed. Additionally, she was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for three years, ordered to pay the boy's parents compensation of 7,000 shekels, and placed under probation supervision for 12 months. After the conviction, the case was transferred to the disciplinary court of the Civil Service Commission. The teacher reached a plea agreement with it. The court noted that "the civil service cannot tolerate such a breach of trust caused by an assault on the physical integrity and dignity of a minor." In its decision, the court considered that the teacher took responsibility and that several years had passed since the incident. The court also concluded that this case was not characteristic of her behavior during her entire time working in the education system, where she had been employed since 2009. Ultimately, the teacher received a severe reprimand and was dismissed, retaining her right to severance pay.