Restraint of a student spurs investigation, resignations and community divide

BEXLEY, Ohio ( WCMH ) – Bexley’s new school year will start this week, but without two teachers whose resignations this summer drew roughly 100 people to a district board meeting after a community dispute arose over how the district supports its students and teachers.

The elementary teachers, Erin Zantello Clary and Lindsay Ammirante, resigned after an investigation into how they restrained an elementary school student. The board of education approved their resignations unanimously at a special meeting July 24 before a crowd wearing “Bexley Blue” to show support for the two.

“I’ve spent my entire life being a teacher, and these things that are being said about me are so terrible — they are not even an exaggeration, they are awful and they are lies,” Ammirante said. “And it’s just not fair we were never given a chance to defend ourselves.”

Also in the crowd was the student’s mother, who stood in the middle of the supporters and said she was proud of the board for its decision.

Ammirante said she and Clary, who is not permitted to speak with media per the restraints of her resignation agreement, moved through various de-escalation tactics until they felt they had to restrain him for safety purposes. She said any restraint positions they engaged in were approved holds for situations like these.

The parents of the student spoke with NBC4 last week on the record, but the mother later asked that her comments be excluded from this article before its publication. NBC4 has complied with her request.

An officer took a report from the elementary principal several days after the incident. The report said on May 23, a third grade student with special needs did not listen to verbal instructions from a teacher. NBC4 obtained security camera footage that showed Clary and Ammirante restraining the child on the school’s playground, including pinning his limbs down using their arms and knees. The camera also captured the student hitting or kicking the teachers at various points when his limbs were not restrained.

The security camera video last showed the child standing near a field by the playground after pulling away and then walking out of frame. Ammirante said no one touched the student after the initial incident.

Upon the mother’s request, parents and administrators watched the existing security video from the incident, after which the teachers were put on leave and the district launched an investigation. School officials also reported the incident as an alleged assault to Bexley police, who told NBC4 on Monday morning that their investigation is ongoing.

Ammirante said throughout the investigation, she felt she was not supported by the district or the Bexley Education Association, the union for Bexley teachers. Although the BEA paid for her lawyer, she said it felt like no one was really fighting for her.

Eventually, she said, she and Clary were presented with various options. No matter the discussion, she said all solutions proposed involved details remaining in her file she felt she could not agree to.

“The verbiage that they used was so ugly and twisted of the events of that day, that would have forever been in my personnel file,” Ammirante said. “I’m like, ‘I’m never gonna be able to get a job again.’ They make it so ugly that you just want to resign.”

School board members declined to comment, saying there are confidentiality concerns as the incident involved a student.

“Any serious situation requires that we take the time and care to conduct a thorough investigation that must be as fair as possible, and when a student is involved, as confidential as possible,” Board President Victoria Powers said at the special meeting.

This statement was repeated in the email sent to parents after the special meeting, where the district announced the teachers had resigned.

Now, Bexley teachers are pointing toward fears that this could happen to any staff, according to both the mom and Ammirante. Staff wore black on Monday for their first day of work, with Ammirante saying it was in solidarity and to demand change. Community members are also circulating a petition calling for updated protocol for future situations, and requesting Ammirante and Clary be reinstated.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, the night before students have their first day of classes. Ammirante predicted parents, community members and teachers will attend, and said she thinks the board will address any internal changes they have made in collaboration with the union at that time. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Bexley City Hall.

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