CALDWELL, Idaho — Teachers who spoke to police about Kerry Black, a 45-year-old Lincoln Elementary School special education instructor accused of abusing students, said that Black began exhibiting aggressive behavior two years prior to her arrest.
After an investigation into the complaints,Ada County Sheriff's deputies later arrested Black at her home on Feb. 17. She is charged with eleven misdemeanor counts of injury to a child. Canyon County court records show the first is dated Jan. 17, the second dated Jan. 23, the next Jan. 24, the next two Jan. 27, then one on Jan. 31 and the last five charges were dated Feb. 8 - all from 2023.
In a probable cause affidavit submitted by Caldwell Police Detective and school resource officer Kristopher Wallin, Wallin states he got a message from the principal at Lincoln Elementary on Feb. 14 informing him the school received multiple complaints, from six school staff members, about alleged physical abuse by Black.
Wallin wrote in the affidavit one staff member told him that on Jan. 17, Black was "getting frustrated" with a child who was not listening, so Black crossed the room and "smacked the diaper of the student twice."
Another staff member told Wallin she was requested to help out in the preschool class due to staffing issues on Jan. 23. As the preschool children were lining up against a bulletin board, one child reached out and began to play with the paper that was hanging off the board. The affidavit states this staff member saw Black "smack his hand three times and pushed it down in his lap."
"I was seven feet away and could clearly hear the sound from each contact," the teacher told Wallin in the affidavit.
The same teacher described Black as "aggressive and very manual," and that her demeanor was often aggressive because "that's just her go-to." The teacher told Wallin that the physical contact was more than the situation warranted, she would not do it herself at her place of work, and she thought this was some sort of a pattern in Black's behavior.
A male staff member told Wallin in the affidavit Black was forcefully moving children's heads and "holding onto (the child's) skull." He said during station time in the classroom, Black "smacked" a child while he was playing with Legos, later forced him into a chair, and later smacked the child's hands when the child reached for some toys. The staff member told police he believed Black was taking her frustration out on the children in the classroom.
Other staff members told police Black seemed agitated and on edge fairly often, always spoke to children in a stern tone and that she was rougher with the children than most parents would expect a teacher to be.
One teacher told the officer that this wasn't an isolated incident -- Black had "put her hand on their behinds," the teacher said. She was on medical leave and when she returned she noticed Black would get physical with the children more frequently, spanking them often. She said she's seen one child cry in response to Black's actions.
Wallin wrote in the affidavit that this teacher believed Black has been physical with children for the last two years, but hadn't reported the behavior.
A teacher is quoted in the affidavit as telling police, "I know that if it was my child or a family member, I would not be OK with it, especially children with disabilities."
Caldwell School District Superintendent Dr. N Shalene French said in a Caldwell P.D. news release that administrative staff have contacted all the families involved, counselors will be available to those families, and Black will not be returning to the classroom.
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