Westover Middle School teacher accused of biting special needs student

The mother of a Fayetteville elementary school student said Tuesday that her son's teacher bit her special needs child during a dispute in the classroom.

Posted 3:19 a.m. Oct 30, 2019 — Updated 3:19 a.m. Oct 30, 2019

Gilbert Baez

, WRAL reporter

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The mother of a Fayetteville elementary school student said Tuesday that her son's teacher bit her special needs child during a dispute in the classroom.

The incident allegedly happened Monday at Westover Middle School.

Parent Deborah Glegola is outraged over the incident involving her son, Tyler Mercier, a Westover Middle School sixth grader.

According to Glegola, Tyler suffered an emotional breakdown in class and was bitten by his teacher during a scuffle.

"He got frustrated with his work and the teacher," she said. "He threw his book down and then a pencil, and then the pencil hit the teacher in the foot so the teacher decided to lunge at Tyler and then bit him."

The boy has what looks to be a bite mark on his left hand.

He told WRAL News that the teacher jumped on top of him, "And then she bit me because I kicked her."

WRAL News interviewed Tyler and his father last year in September. That's when the family says teaching assistants at Mary McArthur Elementary school roughed him up while trying to restrain him.

The boy has been home schooled since that incident but his mother opted to put him back in school because she was told Westover Middle School educators would be able to handle his emotional outbursts.

"Because he does have (outbursts) and if he was in the wrong or right, I don't think it's OK for a teacher to bite a child."

Glegola said she is considering home schooling her son again.

A spokesman for the school says the teacher remains on the job in the classroom while the school system investigates to see if any other action should be taken.

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