An Evans Elementary paraprofessional was placed on leave but has since resigned following a Nov. 10 incident in which he used improper restraints to try to de-escalate.
“The paraprofessional, James Mock, was immediately placed on administrative leave from the school, pending an investigation by Columbia County School District Police,” according to a press release from the Columbia County School District.
No injuries have been reported.
Mock has been charged with simple battery and has since resigned.
The press release issued by the schools Principal, Tonia T. Ellis went on to say
“Mr. Mock was formerly employed with the Columbia County School District since 2018. This matter has been reported to the Professional Standards Commission. Staff are routinely and professionally trained on how to properly de-escalate a situation while keeping students safe. The Columbia County School District never condones the use of improper restraint on students at any time. It is inacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Need further information, which will probably never be shared. Having to assume Sand Hills/Special Education pupil. Having heard of a student ripping a fire-alarm pull-box off of a wall at another school, things can get “escalated”.
So, what did the child do, for the parapro to subdue him? That makes a huge difference…but in this ridiculously litigious society, it doesn’t make much of a difference, does it? I mean, the kid could be running around the class with sharp scissors, jabbing at all the other kids, the man could’ve tripped the kid, and BOOM!!…the man is arrested because he didn’t let the kid fall into a pile of fluffy pillows.
But, wait….wasn’t the child assessed by the school nurse who determined there were no injuries?
Forgot to mention….we need to wait on more information to determine if the man didn’t really do the appropriate thing.
Why should this guy have to restrain anyone. I never was restrained in my school years. Never saw anyone get restrained. Oh, I bet some woke parent sent their little monster to school and raised hell when “it” had to be restrained.
Special ed students often need restraint….esp those with violent tendencies to stop harm to themselves and others. The way this story was reported tells me it was a Special Ed situation….. the teachers and parapros are trained in specific ways to restrain them but typically restraint is a last resort. I used to be a special ed parapro.
This could be a litigious parent or the school covering their butt knowing a litigious parent may bring a case against the school if they only wrote him up for using a non approved restraints.
Thank you for the support that you provided to your teacher and your students. A lot of the times, it is a thankless job. Please see my comments below.
When I attended schools it was the practice to segregate and/or institutionalize special needs children. So I too never saw anyone retrained. Schools also sent normal teenagers who were habitual troublemakers to reform schools that were prison work camps, where they finished high school or escaped. Special needs children are often impulsive and can be unintentionally violent, causing injuries to fellow students, themselves, and the school staff. Had Mr. Mock not retrained the student and the student injured himself or injured another student, they probably would have fired him. Rock and a hard spot? This treatment of teachers and paraprofessionals by school administrators and woke parents are two reason I stopped substitute teaching in Richmond County in the 90’s.
It all depends… there are special ed classrooms but they are also some special ed students included in regular education classes. It depends on the severity of the disability.
RIP Jones, thank you.
You are completely correct. The incident that I referenced in my first comment to this article, happened to MY wife, in HER classroom, at Columbia Middle School many years ago, done by an out of control girl. Years ago, it was determined (by Psychiatrists) that Special Education children would benefit from being in a more normalized setting. The thirty-five cent word for that became “inclusion”. My wife was a Special Education teacher for twenty-six years. I lived it, through her. You are also correct that teachers and paraprofessionals ARE constantly caught between a rock and a hard place. It is not right, and it is not fair. They should be there to TEACH, not protect themselves and others, and THEN teach. For the most part, Special Education parents are awesome. However, there are a few here and there that were not. Sadly, THOSE are the vocal or litigious ones. A slippery slope for sure.
All for para pay!
All anyone can do is assume with a very vague news article like this. This is not news reporting with so many holes in it. Richmond County gets berated in the media for not reporting minor incidents. Now CC, to avoid that negative attention, reports when someone gets a hang nail on school grounds.