Manchester school reviewing contract with company after 2 therapists are accused of assaulting students
MANCHESTER, N.H. - A behavior specialist is under arrest after police said he assaulted two students at a school in Manchester, New Hampshire.
This is the second time in three months a therapist at the school has been arrested for assaulting a student.
It happened at the Parker-Varney Elementary School. Police said 24-year-old William O'Connell threw a 7-year-old boy to the ground, causing facial injuries. O'Connell is also accused of putting a 7-year-old girl on the floor in a "hard manner" in a separate incident on the same day.
O'Connell was charged with felony second degree assault and simple assault. He's due back in court on March 7 to be arraigned.
O'Connell is employed by the contractor Applied ABC. Back in December, a different Applied ABC behavioral therapist was arrested at the same school, accused of assaulting a 7-year-old. The district said it's now reviewing its contract with the company.
In a letter home to families, the Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel Gillis said both O'Connell and the other therapist were immediately removed from their jobs and won't return. She added the district has added oversight in its schools to meet daily with contracted special education workers.
"We are heartbroken by the violation of trust placed in these workers and will continue to cooperate fully with the MPD investigation into the recent incidents at Parker-Varney School," said Chmiel Gillis in the letter.
In a statement, Applied ABC said they "...immediately notified the proper authorities and terminated the employee as soon as we learned of the reported incidents. Our rapid response helped ensure that Child Protective Services were notified and that all relevant details were shared as quickly as possible. Our agency has a zero-tolerance policy for any and all improper behavior towards children. Due to student confidentiality, we are unable to provide additional details on this matter."
