A New York school aide violently yanked the arm of third grader with autism while shouting so loudly a teacher intervened – but was allowed to keep her job, the kid’s family claims.
The staffer at Ward Elementary School in suburban New Rochelle allegedly yanked 8-year-old Nathan Pauly by the arm after the boy disrupted a classroom reading in March 2023 – part of trend of troubling confrontations between the young student and aide, according to a lawsuit filed in March that the child’s mother recently spoke out about.
The Westchester County school’s principal called parent Leah Griggs Pauly the following day after the “alleged assault” to tell her the school was conducting an investigation into an “incident where someone put their hands on N.P.,” according to the lawsuit.
The aide’s screams were allegedly so loud during the encounter with Nathan that it was heard in the hallway and the classroom teacher had to tell her to stop, according to legal papers.
Griggs Pauly said she didn’t hear anything else about the investigation even after following up with school leaders.
While the aide was no longer assigned to work directly with Nathan, the school still allowed her to work with another special needs student, according to the family. The aide also continued to have contact with Nathan because she was working on the bus for special needs students during dismissal, the lawsuit states.
New Rochelle “continued to subject the child to ongoing, and frequent, contact with the aide” despite the “physical and emotional harm” caused, the lawsuit alleges.
“It was very confusing and unnerving for him,” Griggs Pauly told The Post. “Like he didn’t understand if he had done something wrong, why she was still there and in charge of him. And it was surprising to me as a parent, like I didn’t want this woman anywhere near my kid.”
A spokesperson for the school district declined comment, citing a policy where New Rochelle doesn’t issue statements on pending litigation.
But legal papers filed by district lawyers either stated the district didn’t have enough information on certain allegations or denied the accusations as they called for the case to be dismissed.
Following the March incident, the child informed his mother of other times his arm was forcefully pulled through hallways and staircases and was even prevented from going outside for recess in part of 2022, the lawsuit alleges.
While other students were allowed to run around outside, Nathan and a physically disabled child allegedly were left to hang out in the auditorium with their aides.
Because of the awful experience, Griggs Pauly said her family had no choice but to send him to a private school in New York City.
“We were really desperate to find a school where he could learn and be safe,” she said, adding her son, now in fourth grade, is doing better in the new setting.
A second legal action from the Pauly family demands that New Rochelle school system pay for his new schooling, outlining other issues the school had serving Pauly and other special needs children appropriately.
“New Rochelle needs to do better by its disabled students,” Griggs Pauly said. “Nathan’s experience shouldn’t happen to any other kid.”