5 INVESTIGATES: 911 call was made about student abuse at North Elementary

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - A school official called 911 to report a student was abused by a teacher at North Elementary School in Morgantown, according to records obtained by 5 Investigates.

In the call, Adam Henkins, the director of SafeSchools in Monongalia County, told the dispatcher he needed to make a belated report about “a crime against a child.”

“It was just reported to me that we had a teacher abuse a child,” Henkins told the dispatcher.

The call, which lasted just over a minute, does not include any details of what the abuse was or the name of the teacher.

During the call, which was made on Feb. 7 according to dispatch records, Henkins said the abuse happened “a few days ago.”

The district sent a letter to families a week later saying two administrators -- the school’s principal and vice principal -- were placed on leave after an “incident.”

Ron Lytle, Mon County Board of Education President, told 5 News the reason for the delay was due to a “lag in communication” between the school and the central office.

Once the central office became aware of the situation, administrators immediately moved to notify parents and launched an investigation, he said.

Three other North Elementary staff members were placed on leave during the course of the investigation. However, Superintendent Eddie Campbell told 5 News on Tuesday only one of those three remains on leave. They have not been identified.

Campbell said Tuesday the investigation, which is being conducted by a Charleston-based firm, is expected to wrap up soon.

The results of the investigation are unlikely to be shared publicly for personnel and privacy reason, Lytle said.

Depending on the results, the board may take disciplinary action, he said.

During a recent board of education meeting, Autumn Wise, whose son has autism and attends North Elementary, voiced concern about what happened.

She asked to see video of what happened in her son’s classrom.

Superintendent Campbell told 5 News on Tuesday parents who requested to see the video have seen it.

The video has not been publicly released.

Monongalia County Prosecutor Gabrielle Mucciola told 5 News she couldn’t comment on the situation.

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