A Texas teacher and two assistants allegedly isolated a 5-year-old boy with special needs for so long that he began eating his own feces after being deprived of food.
Melody LaPointe, 47, and teaching assistants Tarah Tinney, 33, and Augusta Costlow, 27, were charged earlier this week with child endangerment or abandonment in the April 2021 incident.
The trio are accused of placing the boy in an isolation room on the premises of the Liberty Independent School District, ABC 13 reported.
TEXAS DPS TROOPER HOSPITALIZED AFTER FENTANYL EXPOSURE DURING TRAFFIC STOP, OFFICIALS SAY
Melody LaPointe, 47, and teaching assistants Tarah Tinney, 33, and Augusta Costlow, 27, face charges after they secluded a special needs boy, forcing him to eat his own feces and drink his urine, according to the reports.
(Liberty County Sheriff’s Office)
They allegedly starved him, forcing him to ingest his own feces and urine, authorities said.
Tinney and Costlow have resigned and LaPointe, the lead teacher in the classroom, works for another school district, which has also placed her on leave, according to the report.
Upon learning of the incident, Liberty ISD contacted authorities.
“We immediately reported the matter to law enforcement and CPS (Child Protective Services), removed the educators who continued to work for us from the classroom, and conducted a thorough investigation,” a district spokesperson said.
“Based on our investigation, we report educators to the State Educator Certification Board and share our results with law enforcement officials,” the spokesperson added.
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Fox News Digital has contacted the school district.
