Teacher accused of unecessary roughness with special education students retains job
Sarasota County, Florida September 3, 2009
A school district in Sarasota County, Florida was told today that firing a teacher who had mistreated students would not be allowed as they had not followed proper procedure in warning her about behavior.
Diana O'Neill was originally arrested after her aides gave a report to the principal detailing how she had hit and kicked her severely handicapped students as well as hitting them on the head with a water bottle and pulling skin off the lip of one child. Although she was acquitted of those charges, O'Neill's school district attempted to fire her for her "flagrant violation of her responsibilities as a teacher".
Sources say that Diana, an 18 year veteran of special education, was warned several times about her behavior. However, she was not specifically told at any time that she was receiving a 'verbal warning'. Because of this, an arbitrator ruled in O'Neill's favor, stating that she must be given her job, or a similar one, as soon as she completes her required 4 week suspension and required counseling. Her current salary is approximately $80,000 per year.
Nobody has mentioned if there is an investigation into why nobody called the Child Abuse Hotline when abuse was first suspected and witnessed. According to the district, Mrs. O'Neill was given many chances to stop mistreating students, but she did not stop. Nobody called the hotline or said anything substantial about the abuse claims until teachers aides began taking notes on the abuse and turned them in, in writing. Once many months of abuse were cataloged, the aides made the report to the principal.
Parents of the special needs children who were mistreated do not want Mrs. O'Niell to return to the classroom. Most likely, Diana O'Neill will be moved to a different school when she is reinstated. In any event, she will not be in the same classroom as those she was charged with abusing.
According to the teacher's union, there is still a possibility that her license could be revoked because of these incidences.
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