Nationwide — Two teachers at an elementary school in Manor, Texas, are facing felony charges after separate investigations found allegations of physical abuse involving students with special needs. Pamela Craig, 51, and Michael Nathan, 47, both worked at Presidential Meadows Elementary before Manor ISD confirmed they were no longer employed by the district.
Craig’s case involves several students in the school’s special education program. Manor ISD police began investigating on Aug. 21 after receiving a report about an incident in the classroom. Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage and identified at least 23 “overly aggressive physical encounters” involving Craig and five students over 11 days. The students were all 9-year-old children who were nonverbal and autistic. Court documents said they were unable to understand or communicate in a typical way, raising concerns about their ability to report what happened to them.
The surveillance footage allegedly captured several incidents. In one, Craig reportedly grabbed students by their upper arms and lifted them from chairs or the floor, causing them to cry. Another recording allegedly showed her grabbing a student’s face and repeatedly jerking his head and neck while yelling at him. Police also described video showing Craig pulling a female student from her chair by the wrists, forcing her onto the floor and later pushing her back into the chair. In other incidents, she allegedly pulled students from their seats, placed them on the floor and used her knee against their backs to keep them down. Police said the recordings also captured the children crying. The arrest affidavit says Craig acknowledged during questioning that she had been overly aggressive with special education students.
Nathan’s case involves a separate incident during dismissal on Aug. 25. Court records say he was working as an English teacher when a student was walking toward the buses. Nathan allegedly grabbed the child’s backpack and pulled him back inside the school. He then allegedly slammed the child against a wall and held him there with his forearm across the child’s neck and chest for about 10 seconds. The student later told the principal that his neck hurt and that he had trouble breathing. The incident was reportedly captured by a district surveillance camera. Nathan was charged with state jail felony injury to a child, while Craig faces a second-degree felony charge of injury to a child.
According to Fox 7 Austin, both teachers were arrested by Manor ISD police. Nathan received a $25,000 bond and was ordered to stay away from the school and have no contact with the child involved in his case. His court date is set for Sept. 25. Craig’s bond was set at $15,000, and she was ordered to stay away from the school and have no unsupervised contact with minors. She is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 23. State records show that both teachers’ certifications are under review. The district said the employees were removed from campus and placed on administrative leave after the allegations were reported before they were no longer employed.
Manor ISD said its special education staff receives annual training covering behavior management, instructional strategies, physical assistance, and crisis prevention. Employees also receive training involving autism support and communication methods for nonverbal students. The district said additional training has been provided at the school and that it is reviewing its practices and oversight. An attorney representing the family of the student in Nathan’s case said the child suffered bruising and an injury that affected his breathing. The child’s father was allowed to view surveillance footage, but the attorney said the family has not been given access to the video. The cases come as Texas has strengthened requirements for school districts to report certain allegations of employee misconduct to state education officials within 48 hours.