Ex-educators in Burleson accused of improperly restraining students with special needs
A former teacher and her classroom assistant in the Burleson school district have been arrested and accused of using improper restraints on students in a preschool developmental learning class, according to jail records and officials.
Authorities arrested teacher Jeanna Mangus and paraprofessional Holly Monroe the day before Thanksgiving after an investigation by Burleson police.
Monroe and Mangus had been employed at Norwood Environmental Science Academy, an elementary school at 619 Evelyn Lane in Burleson, but a message from Principal Candice Cook to parents indicated the two are no longer employed in the district. The Burleson school district released a copy of the message to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The two women each face three charges of assault against disabled individuals, according to jail records
The message sent to parents last week said that Cook became aware on Sept. 30 of improper restraints being used on students with special needs behind closed doors.
Cook told parents that school officials removed Mangus and Monroe from the classroom, alerted district officials, notified parents of all students in the preschool classroom and contacted law enforcement.
“Due to federal privacy laws, I can’t share specific details involving students with you,” Cook wrote in the message. “But please know that your child’s safety and welfare are my top priorities.”
Cook noted that the staff at Norwood are trained only to use CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) restraint techniques and only when necessary to protect a child, but that the two women were not using CPI techniques even though they were trained to do so.
“That is unacceptable,” Cook wrote.
Johnson County jail records indicated that Mangus and Monroe were booked into jail on Nov. 24. Monroe was released later that day, and Mangus was released on Thanksgiving. They were released after posting $5,400 bond each. They could not immediately be reached for comment.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 10:43 AM.
