Teacher’s aide sentenced for striking handicapped girl, 12

LOUISBURG, N.C. – A teacher’s aide in North Carolina has been given a 10-day jail sentence and a year’s probation after being found guilty of using corporal punishment on a handicapped child.

WNCN in Raleigh reports a Franklin County judge found 61-year-old Margaret Harris guilty of a misdemeanour charge of striking a handicapped person.

A former co-worker testified she saw Harris hit the 12-year-old girl multiple times last April, hard enough to bend a large kitchen spoon and leave bruises. Harris denied the charges.

Harris, who lost her job, also must perform 24 hours of community service and undergo a mental health evaluation. Trial concluded Tuesday.

The girl’s mother says her daughter has Potocki-Lupski syndrome, described online as a genetic disorder which can cause developmental delay and shows some behaviours associated with autism.