An Ohio school district has released shocking video footage that shows two elementary school employees bullying a 9-year-old student to eat food that had been pulled out of the trash
The absolutely sickening incident occurred last month at Palm Elementary School in Lorain, Ohio, and has since resulted in the firing of both employees who were involved – one of which was the principal of the school.
According to WKYC3 News:
A little less than 15 minutes prior to the start of lunch for students at Palm Elementary School, paraprofessional staff member Monika Sommers-Fridenstine (at the top of the frame wearing a mask and a light blue shirt) can be seen motioning to a young girl sitting at a table on the left furthest away from the camera. The child then meets Sommers-Fridenstine and Principal Debra Pustulka by the yellow trash can on the far left and empties her tray, but Sommers-Fridenstine then takes something out of the pail.
Thanks to a lawsuit filed by the abused young girl’s family, the school finally released the footage that corroborates her story.
In the video, Sommers-Fridenstine and Pustulka can be seen berating the child for throwing away uneaten food. The monitor then proceeds to pull the discarded waste from the garbage, wipe it down with a towel, and throw it back onto the child’s tray, forcing her to eat it as the principal stood watching just a few feet away.
They would not leave the traumatized child alone until she had finished eating the entire meal.
The officials were later fired.
Watch:
According to the lawsuit that was filed after the incident, Sommers-Fridenstine sat across from the student and made her finish the waffles while her classmates laughed at her, which left the 9-year-old girl “traumatized.”
Apparently, all the girl had done was “ask for a different meal,” because she did not like the waffles that were given at the beginning, which caused the two power-crazed loons to violate her rights in this egregious manner.
Lorain Public School Superintendent Jeff Graham has since fired both Sommers-Fridenstine and Pustulka following the district’s investigation.
Graham also apologized on behalf of the district in a public statement.
“Any infringement upon the dignity and respect of our students will not be tolerated. Our students deserve staff members who are able to make good decisions in all situations — and any staff member who is unable to deliver on that promise is unwelcome in our schools.”