TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – An employee of Garfield Elementary School in Toledo is on leave without pay after what the district calls “a deeply concerning incident” with a student.
The paraprofessional is accused of grabbing a student by his neck, leaving a bruise and scratches.
The child’s mother is speaking out.
“When I seen him, there was more than just a scratch on his neck,” said the mother, Nancy Coffman.
Coffman shared the picture of her son’s neck, where she says a paraprofessional grabbed the 8-year-old after he got upset.
“They told him he didn’t earn the McDonald’s as the rest of the class had earned the following day. So, he wouldn’t be able to get that and he got upset and he was escalated about it,” said Coffman.
It happened last week.
She says the employee was trying to calm him down, but was screaming at him. She says her son left the room and went into the hallway.
“When she grabbed him, she left the scratch marks and the bruise is from when he had his backpack like over his shoulder, and the strap lay on his neck and when he got away, she grabbed him by his backpack and pulled so hard she ripped the strap off it. This is a brand new backpack. The school has it. I gave it to him for proof after that, she grabbed him by his arms and apparently slammed up against the wall. And she had his arms back like this,” said the mother.
It was all caught on the school cameras.
TPS issued 13 Action News this statement: “Toledo Public Schools is aware of a deeply concerning incident involving a paraprofessional’s actions toward a student at Garfield Elementary. When we became aware of the situation, the district swiftly took action, immediately removing the employee and contacting Lucas County Children’s Services. The employee is suspended without pay and a thorough investigation is underway at this time.”
Coffman said her son is in a special education room where staff are supposed to be trained to handle kids with behavior issues.
“Because he does have ADHD, sometimes he does have a hard time regulating his emotions and sometimes he does get escalated, but that still does not make it OK for someone to be slamming him against the wall and abusing him,” said the mother.
School administrators say they will take the appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with district policies and procedures.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-10-01 18:19:00
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