TOLEDO, Ohio — A teacher at Jackman Elementary School in west Toledo is out of the classroom following an investigation into an alleged assault on one of her students with special needs.
Now, other parents are speaking out because they say they are concerned about their own kids.
"I was just real angry because I wasn't told," said Emily Hamen, parent of a kindergartner with autism at Jackman Elementary.
The teacher in question is Rachael Lazear, who is currently serving a four-day suspension, according to Washington Local Schools superintendent Kadee Anstadt.
Hamen said Lazear was also her 5-year-old son's teacher.
Lazear has not been charged with a crime, only accused of assaulting an 8-year-old student in a police report from Oct. 17.
"How come when it's a special education class, why is she still able to teach without no leave like nothing ever happened?" Hamen questioned. "These kids are more vulnerable, even."
Anstadt told WTOL that an internal investigation into the incident was concluded on Friday. A letter describing the investigations' findings was handed down this morning.
Lazear is currently suspended for four days. When she returns, she won't be back in the classroom, but will remain employed by the district, Anstadt said.
But Hamen is still grappling with the fact that she wasn't filled in.
"I feel like they really dropped the ball here," she said. "I feel like we all should have been informed right from the beginning."
Now an already protective mother says a layer of mistrust will be hard to overcome.
When asked if she was still comfortable with her son attending Jackman Elementary, Hamen said, "Not like I used to be. No."
The police report indicates Lazear has been reported to the Ohio Department of Education and Children's Services.
MORE FROM WTOL: