Aide tells of teacher's excessive force

December 10, 2008

autistic-students.html

December 9, 2008 at 4:48 PM

A former special-education teacher at a Schaumburg school may have

used excessive force in trying to control autistic students but did

not appear to intend harm, a prosecution witness said today at the

teacher's trial.

Habib Behrouzi, a former aide at Frost Junior High School, testified

that teacher E. McCarthy appeared to be on edge in August

2007 at the start of classes and that McCarthy used more force than

he thought was needed to cope with students who were disruptive in

class.

McCarthy, 32, of Palatine, is on trial in the Rolling Meadows branch

of Cook County Circuit Court on charges of aggravated battery and

unlawful restraint.

McCarthy was arrested in September 2007 after Behrouzi and another

teacher's aide at Frost made allegations that he had abused students,

then 11 and 12 years old, in his classroom.

Behrouzi was an aide in McCarthy's classroom but had little

experience at the time with autistic students.

Prosecutors have alleged that McCarthy slammed a child's head into a

cabinet. But under questioning by defense lawyer Breen,

Behrouzi gave a somewhat different account.

Behrouzi said the student would lean back in his chair and that

McCarthy would push the chair forward to prevent the child from

falling. On one occasion, the child fell forward and bumped into a

cabinet when McCarthy pushed the chair, Behrouzi said.

The boy suffered a small bruise, he said.

Another student would kick off his shoes, and McCarthy sometimes

threw the shoes back at the student, hitting him, Behrouzi testified.

At the time, McCarthy had taught for three years in Schaumburg-based

Community Consolidated School District 54. He has opted for a bench

trial before Judge Scotillo.

Prosecutors have alleged that McCarthy forced a student to wear a

weighted vest while jumping on a trampoline and tied another student

to a chair with a jump-rope.

-- Houde

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