LINCOLN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lincoln County special education teacher and two former aides accused of criminal abuse were in court Monday.
Special education teacher Rebecca Spurlock and former instructional assistants Janie Hasty and Teresa Sparkman each face a felony charge of second-degree criminal abuse.
Police say that those charges stem from an incident that happened Jan. 3 at Lincoln County High School. The criminal complaint says a student with autism who is non-verbal was walking around Spurlock’s classroom when Hasty allegedly starting punching the student’s head and taunting him.
The complaint also says that Hasty continued pulling and shoving the student as the other assistant, Sparkman, laughed. The county’s lawyer said Spurlock did nothing to stop it. Lawyers say that the situation was caught on camera.
Lincoln County Superintendent Michael Rowe said Hasty and Sparkman were terminated from their positions. He said Spurlock has been reassigned to a position at the Student Support Center for the remainder of the school year effective immediately.
All three women waived formal arraignment Monday, and the judge made sure everything was ready to go for when the case moves forward.
The will be in court later this month.
