She was too cruel to go to school.
A Brooklyn Catholic school teacher allegedly placed a 3-year-old student in a cardboard box in a locked closet and threatened the frightened student that the Grinch was coming, The Post has learned.
Alexis Breeden, the 3-K lead teacher at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Windsor Terrace, was arrested Feb. 28, four weeks after allegedly imposing a twisted timeout, and faces charges of false imprisonment and child abuse. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a person. to criminal charges.
“Simply put, I can’t think of a situation where this could be called anything other than child abuse,” said John Elefterakis of Elefterakis, Elefterakis & Panek, who works with the child’s family, on condition of anonymity.
“This incident is extremely disturbing and we will thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those responsible,” Elefterakis said.
According to a complaint filed with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, on February 2, a school nurse saw Breeden grab the handle of a storage closet door and close it while a child was crying inside.
The nurse told Breeden to open the door, and when Breeden unlocked the door, the nurse saw a “3-year-old child crying inside a closet in a large cardboard box,” the lawsuit says. is stated.
Parents say the strange mask was kept in a classroom closet and was used by teachers to intimidate children for several weeks. A parent familiar with the incident said the teacher told the toddler, “There’s a Grinch.”
The nurse reported the disturbing findings, and the K-3 program was immediately discontinued as the city’s Department of Health and the NYPD launched an investigation into possible child abuse.
The taxpayer-funded, city-run Universal 3-K program, located behind Holy Name of Jesus Church in Prospect Park West, reopened Tuesday.
Breeden, who lives in Castleton Corners on Staten Island, was fired shortly after the incident. She was charged with false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the District Attorney’s Office. According to her court records, she pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance.
The Diocese of Brooklyn said it “became aware of the violation of the Safe Environment Code of Conduct and took immediate action,” according to the Catholic newspaper. Tablet.
“The child was not injured, but out of respect for the student, we will not be releasing any further details about this incident,” the diocese said in a statement.
The Catholic school, which has annual tuition of $6,600, enrolls about 280 students.
Mr Elefterakis said the shocking incident was not the only incident of alleged bullying of children at the school, which promotes an educationally parochial environment.
“Unfortunately, our initial investigation reveals that this is not the first time helpless children have been subjected to abusive behavior at this school,” he said.
parents bash the school in online reviews Against the “culture of bullying” that prevails among students and staff, the teachers who make children cry, and the harsh “disciplinarian” principal Stephanie Ann Jarman.
Parents told the Post they had concerns about Breeden since he enrolled in 2020.
“It’s outrageous and unacceptable that something like this could happen in the first place,” said one parent, who pulled her son from school last year over safety concerns. “The principal has been warned about this teacher’s behavior for years.”
“I’ve been worried since the beginning of the year,” another parent told the Post. “All the kids in her class started acting different. They weren’t normal 3-year-olds anymore.”
Her 3-year-old child is currently on a waiting list for another school.
Another class parent said the scenario since February was “horrifying” and would have a “lasting psychological impact”. “This is more than one bad apple,” she wrote on her parents’ Facebook group.
“The school completely ignored the parents of the affected classes,” she added.
Another Windsor Terrace mother also pulled her son out of the K-12 program, citing safety concerns and dissatisfaction with educational practices, she said.
“I also think about the other children who witnessed this,” she told the Post. “You never know how trauma affects a young child’s brain. For a 3-year-old, it’s very delicate.”
Breeden, 30, enrolled at the school in 2020 but did not receive a valid teaching license until March 2021, according to state records.
“Amid pandemic delays, the COVID-19 emergency license that allows teachers to work before passing required exams will expire in August 2023, and the license will not be reissued for the current school year she was teaching. It was not done.”
According to the school’s social media, Breeden taught for four years before starting at SJWCA, but it was not immediately clear where he taught.
Principal Stephanie Ann Jarman told Education in October that the school had “continued to see a change in leadership” in recent years, with four principals replaced in four years.
“There are a lot of negative elements in parent culture and student culture,” German said, including teacher retirement and declining enrollment; According to the article From the social-emotional learning program “Responsive Classroom.” German has adopted this model at her SJWCA, and she said it has helped increase cooperation and kindness.
Breeden said he would not comment on the case, and his attorney said he had no comment.
