Toledo paraprofessional charged with assault after video shows her grabbing student, pushing him against wall

The attached video aired before the criminal charges were filed.

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A local school paraprofessional who is on leave after she was captured on camera grabbing a child’s neck and pushing him against a wall is now facing criminal charges.

Court filings show Charisa Craig, 50, of Toledo, is facing an assault charge stemming from the incident. Craig was working as a paraprofessional at Garfield Elementary School in Toledo at the time of the alleged assault on Sept. 25.

A Toledo Public Schools spokesperson previously told 13 Action News before the news of the criminal charges that Craig was suspended without pay as an investigation was underway. They called it a “deeply concerning incident.”

“When we became aware of the situation, the district swiftly took action, immediately removing the employee and contacting Lucas County Children’s Services,” the spokesperson said at the time of our previous reporting.

“You know, at first I was really angry, I was angry, but then I was kind of, I was sad and I cried,” said Nancy Coffman, the child’s mother. “I was shocked at not only what she did but at the fact that there was several adults standing in the hallway while this happened, and there was a bunch of kids there witnessing it and everything.”

The surveillance footage shows the paraprofessional using her body to try and pin the student against the wall. The child’s mother told 13 Action News it left bruising and scratches on the boy.

The student’s mom said an incident like this shouldn’t happen to any child.

“Do better and they need to figure out these issues and they need to stop letting their staff abuse these children,” Coffman said.

The boy was held against the wall for around two and a half minutes before another staff member intervened and the student walked away.

Craig is scheduled to face a judge on Nov. 13, court filings said.

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