Alabama teacher retires amid charges of slapping, hitting, kicking special ed students
By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com The Birmingham News
Hueytown, AL
series Aka Story Package gallery-preview /gallery-preview Aka Secondary Package A Hueytown High School teacher accused of slapping, kicking and using a metal ruler on a teen special education student has now retired.
Jefferson County school board officials today accepted the retirement of Lisa Brown Edmonson, according to the board attorney. The vote was taken in a special called noon meeting today. The retirement is effective Jan. 1.
Hueytown police obtained a warrant Oct. 22 against Edmonson for aggravated child abuse with serious injury. Authorities have declined to release specifics in the case, but AL.com obtained police reports - which are part of court records – chronicling what led police to file charges.
Three adult witnesses – all special education teachers -told investigators they saw Edmonson on more than one occasion using excessive force when disciplining children in her classroom, according to the reports. One student – a 14-year-old girl who only speaks two words – seemed to be more of a target than others.
"Ms. Edmonson had, on numerous occasions, slapped, hit, kicked and used a metal ruler on different part of her body,'' the report reads. "When confronted, Ms. Edmonson said (the victim's) foster mother told her she could use corporal punishment on her."
The Hueytown investigator said in the report that he spoke with the victim's foster mother, who said she had never given Edmonson permission to strike her child.
All three witnesses interviewed by police said they had become concerned about the safety of the children in her care, according to the police report. What was being done, they said, goes against training. Each child assigned to the classroom has an IQ under 55 and is deemed to have severe mental or physical disabilities.
Police spoke with DHR, which expressed the desire to move forward with prosecution in the case.
Edmondson was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Oct. 23, and released within two hours after posting bond, which was set at $30,000. Jefferson County Superintendent Craig Pouncey issued a statement earlier this week saying Edmonson was placed on indefinite administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation into allegations of "improper classroom conduct."
According to the school website, Edmonson obtained a bachelor's degree from Auburn University in early childhood education for the handicapped. This is her 28th year teaching in the field of special education, according to her school biograAL.com has made a request for Edmonson's personnel file.
Her attorney, Dan Taliaferro, previously told AL.com said that his client has been teaching without any problems for more than 25 years. "She does teach severely handicapped children up to the age of 21,'' he said. "What people need to understand is she has to try to control and some become quite violent. You have to defend yourself, you have to defend other students and sometimes you have to prevent them from hurting themselves."
"I know based on her history based on the fact that she's never had problems, I don't believe she's guilty of any child abuse and I think a jury will understand that when they hear the facts of the case,'' he said, "and when they come to realize how difficult trying to control these children can be."