Teacher seen on video dragging boy with autism down hall in Kentucky will avoid prison

A former Wurtland Elementary School teacher who video showed dragging a boy with autism down a hallway could be back in the classroom in two years, according to media reports.

Trina Abrams pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and was sentenced Wednesday to 120 days of home confinement, court records show.

The mother of the boy, Angel Nelson, told The Daily Independent that Abrams “has not shown remorse” after dragging her then-third grade son down the Greenup County school hallway in October 2018.

Nelson posted on Facebook saying the teacher forcefully grabbed her son’s wrist and bent it backwards while he was experiencing a meltdown common with his diagnoses.

“After he let go of the chair, she grabbed him by the wrist and drug him down the hallway from one classroom into another, according to school video footage,” Nelson wrote. “The camera within the classroom had previously been turned towards the corner, so unfortunately there is no video in the classroom.

“According to my son, she threw him hard down onto a chair,” she added. “Beyond this, we will never truly know what took place behind that closed door because of my son’s speech limitations.”

The boy suffered a sprained wrist as a result of the incident, which also destroyed his shoes, Nelson wrote. Her then 9-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety and depression, she said.

Abrams was “removed from the school” following the incident, the school district said in a statement to WSAZ.

Kentucky State Police launched an investigation and charged Abrams with fourth-degree assault on Jan. 2, 2019, court records show.

As a part of her sentencing, Abrams will forfeit her teaching certificate for two years and will be allowed to leave her home for doctors and church, WSAZ reported.

The sentencing was “above and beyond” what she deserved, Abrams told The Daily Independent. While she will be allowed to teach again, the sentencing makes it unlikely she will earn a teaching job in Kentucky again, County Attorney Mike Wilson said, according to The Daily Independent

“I feel the prosecutor was just out to get votes. I feel it was political,” Abrams said, according to the newspaper.

Prior to Abrams’ sentencing, Nelson pleaded on Facebook for “Justice for Alan.”

“Justice for those who can not advocate for themselves!” she said. “Thanks for all the support and the kind words. Continue fighting for change, acceptance and inclusion for our children. Support the training of school staff, cameras in school, and much more. Our future generation needs our support and love! No child should ever have a fear of going to school, for everyone has a right to an education!”

She told the Daily Independent her son is now in fourth grade in a different school district.