Elgin, Okla., is facing another troubling headline this school year, as a second Elgin Public Schools support employee has been charged after video and court records allege she struck a 10-year-old student in the face. The arrest follows a March case in which another district worker was accused of putting a kindergarten student in a chokehold.
What court documents and video show
Elizabeth Kay Sutton has been charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery on a student after court filings say a school security camera recorded her swinging toward the 10-year-old's face and snapping his head back. The documents state the boy had been acting out after returning from winter break and that Sutton claimed she used a hold she had been trained to use as a paraprofessional, according to KFOR.
Second arrest this school year
Just two weeks earlier, personal care assistant Ottoria McClung was arrested and charged after investigators said she carried a 5-year-old down a hallway in a chokehold, leaving the child crying with a reddened face. KSWO reports that McClung has already made an initial appearance in Comanche County District Court and is out on bond, with a court date set for May.
District response and training
In a statement to KSWO, Superintendent Nate Meraz said, "The support employees were terminated in accordance with school policy." The district added that both incidents were reported by fellow employees and said paraprofessionals and personal care assistants have received multiple trainings this school year and must clear background checks before being hired.
Legal process
Both Sutton and McClung have been released on bond and have court dates scheduled for May, with misdemeanor counts still pending, according to KFOR. Prosecutors are expected to decide whether to file formal charges at the next hearings, and the district says the cases will also move through its own personnel review process.
Officials are urging anyone with information to allow the legal process to run its course, while the district maintains it will continue staff training and keep student safety at the forefront as the Comanche County court cases move forward.
