5 educators charged for forcing special needs boy, 7, to eat his own vomit, police say

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (TND) — Five school employees in Indiana were charged after police said they told a special needs child to eat his own vomit.

The accused educators from Brownsburg Elementary School are life skills teachers Sara Seymour and Julie Taylor, life skills instructional aids Debra Kanipe and Kristen Mitchell, and registered behavior technician Megan King.

The Brownsburg Police Department said the incident, first reported earlier this month, occurred at the elementary school in Feb. 2023 during a lunch period.

According to the news release, a 7-year-old student with special needs can be seen on video sitting at a lunch table eating his meal when he stands up and appears to start gagging. He is apparently told to sit down by Seymour.

The boy vomits onto a tray provided by Taylor and on the table in front of him, with Seymour standing behind him on his left and Kanipe on his right. Police said the victim was then given a spoon by Kanipe and told to eat some of the vomit. He is seen cleaning up the vomit with paper towels.

The probable cause affidavit says the child was originally told by Seymour that if he threw up his lunch, he'd have to eat his own vomit. It also says Mitchell and King witnessed the incident and were present.

We are deeply saddened by the actions of these staff members and will work in conjunction with our local law enforcement as they move forward with possible criminal charges,"Superintendent Jim Snapp said in a statement.

According to police, the termination process was initiated for Seymour and Kanipe, while the other three educators remain on administrative leave.

Seymour and Kanipe were charged with neglect. Taylor, Mitchell and King were charged with failure to report neglect.