By R. Brownell
Georgia teacher Mary Katherine Pursley caused major uproar in her Cobb County school district earlier this week when several special education faculty members witnessed Pursley forcibly putting a child with autism inside of a nearby trashcan. According to the police report, a small incident caused the boy to seek guidance from his teacher, where things escalated fast:
“…The incident happened during the after school program. The boy came inside upset about another student bothering him. He was screaming and would not calm now…. that’s when Pursley talked with the victim about Oscar the Grouch and his “trashy behavior” and told him, “if he has trashy behavior like Oscar, he’d go in the trash can” “
The anonymous employee who spotted the child abuse quickly reported to school administrators who notified the police, but not before firing her from her teaching position. The Cobb County school district quickly released a press statement after Pursley’s arrest:
The District is aware of a teacher charged by police with Cruelty to Child. It is a personnel matter under investigation and no comment can be given. Safety and security of Cobb students continues to be our number one priority. Our attention is on making every remaining day of school for our students safe, healthy, engaging, meaningful and focused on academic excellence.
Pursley was released from jail on Tuesday after being released on $5,000 bail.
