A 30-second video clip the Fresno Unified School District released to the public shows a principal responding to a 10-year-old autistic student pointing his finger at the administrator with a violent shove to the floor. That principal, Brian Vollhardt, formerly of California's Wolters Elementary School, now faces child abuse and child endangerment charges in connection to the incident on June 7, according to court documents The Washington Post obtained.
Vollhardt resigned his position amid the district's investigation and initiation of a disciplinary process, the district wrote in a news release on Thursday.
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Warning: Videos in this story contain violent footage that may be triggering for viewers.
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Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama and Fresno Unified School District Superintendent Bob Nelson, who leads the district the school falls within, played the inaudible video clip during a news conference and released more details regarding what happened when Vollhardt joined a group of students having breakfast the morning in question.
“The former principal and a couple of staff members were working with an upset student,” school officials wrote in the news release.
”Instead of de-escalating the situation, the former principal chose to aggressively shove the student down. Before Superintendent Nelson shared a thirty-second clip of the disturbing event, he warned viewers of the graphic and potentially triggering footage to be shown. He shared that the student involved is physically okay and has been provided emotional supports as needed since this incident was reported. Superintendent expressed that there is absolutely no excuse for this appalling behavior and this conduct is not tolerated at Fresno Unified. ”
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Vollhardt’s attorney, Roger Wilson, told The Washington Post the child was known for “acting out all the time” and the former principal is being vilified.
“He is a well-regarded educator and this is completely out of character,” Wilson told the Post.
Ann Frank, the child's guardian, told ABC-affiliated KFSN that the principal called her claiming that the child assaulted him and asking that she pick the boy up. When she did, the child told her that it was the principal who pushed him to the ground.
"You cannot put force to these kids like that," Frank said. "My son is autistic. Any parents seeing this video, they know what I'm feeling right now. My son was pushed with force by this principal who was supposed to protect him."
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