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A special education teacher at Hayden-McFadden Elementary School pleaded not guilty last week to a felony charge of assault and battery on a person with intellectual disability after an incident involving an 11-year-old student with cerebral palsy.
The alleged assault occurred on Feb. 25 at 9:45 a.m. when Anissa Faria began to yell at, grab, push, and repeatedly yank the ponytail of the special education student, according to witness testimony and a video recording.
The child’s mother, Rebecca Kimball, said she was “left in the dark” by school and district officials. Kimball — who was not notified until more than three hours after the alleged assault — would not learn exactly what happened to her daughter until nine days later, she said. Kimball’s daughter is nonverbal, so unable to describe what happened to her.
For more than a week, Kimball said, she had no idea what had caused the marks on her daughter’s arms and back, or why her hair had been a tangled mess.
“It’s outrageous to me as an attorney and as a parent,” said Jason Markle, who is representing Kimball as part of the law offices of Jeffrey S. Glassman. “Schools should never, ever be keeping parents in the dark about their children. They should never be putting their own interests above that of children.”
Markle said he is considering filing a suit on behalf of Kimball against New Bedford Public Schools, but is waiting for more facts to emerge as the criminal charges against Faria proceed in New Bedford District Court.
School and district administrators whose actions were described in a police report and by Kimball did not respond to individual requests for comment, including phone calls, voicemails, and written questions sent by email.
Arthur Motta, manager of public affairs for the New Bedford Public Schools, provided a written statement on behalf of the district: “New Bedford Public Schools takes all concerns regarding student safety seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.” Motta said Faria is no longer employed by the district.
Motta requested that the district’s full statement and timeline of events be published verbatim. That statement can be accessed here.
Kimball said she only learned details about the incident when she received a call on March 6 from Officer Patrick Reedy, a school resource officer who investigated what happened. Kimball said that without Reedy’s assistance, she would have never been able to find the police report, eyewitness testimony, or video surveillance.
“He told me everything that was going on and he was like, ‘Listen, you have the right to get a copy of everything that I wrote; you have the right to see that video,’” Kimball said. “And he asked me the same thing: Why did it take so long?”
Kimball’s response then — nine days after her daughter was allegedly assaulted by her own teacher — is the same as it is now: “I don’t know.”
Reedy has not responded to a request for comment from The Light.
What happened at Hayden-McFadden?
A teacher’s witness testimony and a police report describing security footage from Hayden-McFadden constitute the evidence presented against Anissa Faria, a longtime special education teacher in New Bedford. To protect her privacy, Kimball’s daughter was identified by her initials — K.K. — in the witness testimony.
Descriptions of the event are consistent across the teacher’s witness testimony, Officer Reedy’s police report, and a description from Kimball — who has seen the video.
Faria was leading a small class of special education students through the hallway with four other staff members present. K.K. cannot walk without assistance and most often relies on a wheelchair, and she was refusing to stand up and walk alongside the rest of her classmates. Faria began to yell at K.K. “in close proximity to her face,” according to the witness testimony.
As the group started off down the hallway, K.K. attempted to veer into a nearby classroom where a special counselor provides behavioral therapy, according to the witness. That’s when Faria first grabbed her arm. K.K. fell to the floor, and Faria lifted her up by the arm repeatedly. Kimball described the incident as “very, very aggressive,” based on the surveillance footage.
The situation continued to escalate: “At one point, K.K. dropped to the floor,” according to the witness testimony, and “[Faria] grabbed K.K.’s pony tail and pulled up swiftly with what appeared to be substantial force and speed. K.K. pulled her hands toward her head and cried out.”
Faria used K.K’s pony tail to stop her from falling, too. Such handling of her pony tail “jerked [K.K.] upward and toward the side, preventing her from dropping to the floor,” according to the witness testimony.
An attorney representing Faria, Thomas Guirney, did not respond to a request for comment.
The teacher who witnessed the incident went immediately to the office of Principal Kim Marshall and told her she “would complete whatever steps needed to be taken” to report it, including filing a 51A report of child abuse.
State law mandates that public school teachers report actual or suspected abuse. It says that they “may, in addition to filing a report under this section, contact local law enforcement authorities.” Upon reporting to their superiors, the administrators become responsible to report to the state.
According to the teacher’s witness statement, “Marshall informed me that the next step is for her to contact [central office administrators] and she would be in contact with me regarding next steps, including the possibility of filing a 51a report.”
The district’s statement indicates that central administrators received “reports of serious employee misconduct” at 10:40 a.m. “Immediate action was taken: the employee was removed from the building by noon, and an internal investigation was initiated. Parents were notified at 12:54 PM,” it said. The district also confirmed that a 51A child abuse report had been filed by 1:15 p.m.
Kimball, the mother, similarly remembered that she was not contacted until almost 1 p.m. — roughly three hours after the alleged assault. Officer Reedy’s report notes that immediately after the incident, the central administrators directed the principal “not to contact the family at this time.”
When she arrived at the school, Kimball said “my whole body was shaking” with worry. At that point, no one had told her what happened. She waited in the office for “20 minutes or more” before she was able to see K.K., she said.
When K.K. arrived, she tried to tell her mother what happened. “Even though my daughter is nonverbal, she has her own way of communication,” Kimball said. “She pulled me down to her level and put my hand on her arm.” That’s when Kimball said she noticed the first mark on her daughter’s arm.
Kimball said that school and district administrators told her she could not know the identity of the involved teacher until an investigation was complete; that she was assured the teacher was “suspended” pending the results of an investigation; and that the police had escorted the teacher out of the building.
Officer Reedy’s account contradicts these statements. His report found that Faria was initially placed on paid administrative duty, and that no one contacted New Bedford police that day. He also told Kimball that she had every right to see the video, which school and district officials had denied citing “staff privacy.”
“I don’t know what to believe,” Kimball said.
No police call for 6 days; officer questions delays
According to his written report, Reedy said that no school or district officials attempted to contact the police until March 3, six days after the incident. Reedy responded on March 4 at a supervisor’s direction.
The district statement indicates that administrators spent those intervening days meeting with investigators from the Department of Children and Families (DCF). When that investigation concluded, district officials contacted the police and “issued a notice of intent to dismiss” to Faria, who is no longer employed by the district.
Once Reedy was called, his investigation faced several roadblocks.
After reviewing the surveillance video at the central administration building, Reedy went to Hayden-McFadden to interview witnesses and make a plan to meet with the family.
But as Reedy sat down with Principal Marshall and the witnessing teacher, he received “repeated cell phone calls” requesting that he return to the central administration building. Once there, Heather Emsley, director of Human Capital Services, told Reedy that he did not “have access to the building to speak with staff about incidents without her knowledge and that I would have to make an appointment,” according to his report.
“I explained to Ms. Emsley that as a school resource officer for approximately 9 years I have investigated and reported on countless incidents involving staff and I have never had to make an appointment, nor have I ever been told that I need to go through her office… in order to speak with staff,” according to his report.
When he asked Emsley why there had been no police report filed “on the day it had occurred,” Emsley said that it was up to the teacher who filed the 51A report to notify the police. Reedy then called his supervisor, Sgt. David Jorge, and together they reiterated that a police report should have been filed: “Due to the seriousness of the offense (felony assault and battery), Ms. Faria could have been placed under arrest … to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” according to Reedy’s report.
In response, “Emsley stated that DCF was notified and that Ms. Faria was walked out of the building and put on paid administrative duty pending a termination hearing.”
Emsley then called back Marshall, the Hayden-McFadden principal, to coordinate a time for her to meet with Officer Reedy later in the day. At that meeting, Reedy gathered the witness testimony and the video surveillance before filing his report. No one called Kimball directly to explain what had happened until Reedy did it himself.
Kimball said she doesn’t know why school officials never told her what happened. “Maybe they were just trying to keep it closed and private… or downplay it. I don’t know.”
Adding to her confusion, Kimball called the police herself the day after the incident occurred, on Feb. 26, but did not hear back.
Assistant Deputy Chief Scott Carola did not respond to an emailed question about whether or how police responded to Kimball’s Feb. 26 report.
Markle, the attorney representing Kimball and her daughter, said: “The teacher that did stand up and file this report, we are appreciative because we never would have known what happened. [K.K.] would not have been able to explain what happened if that teacher didn’t stand up.”
“The police officer that investigated just did not take no for an answer and treated this as a serious crime, which it is, and we are extremely thankful for them.”
Markle added that the whole affair was “handled so poorly. This should have never happened.”
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
Thank you to the teacher and officer, that made sure the incident was reported properly. You are both hero’s.
With all this going on, where’s the superintendent??????? Or is Emsley the superintendent???????? She seems to think she is. Either way, there are laws, especially involving children, seems to be a list of violations.
Time to press charges against the employees who blocked the info. Staff is instructed about ICE, yet abuse of any student should be #1 priority to protect.
My daughter went to.Hay Mac she is non verbal, she came home 2 days in a row with bruises and marks on her they cover up stuff like that at haymac, they probably figured nothing would come out about it since she is non verbal, I pray that teacher is charged and gets jail time for her actions.
I will pray with you! Those involved need to be held responsible.
I feel so bad, you comment brought me to tears. We have to STOP this administration.
Oh, no, no, no. This cannot go on. Those involved to help, the one teacher and the officer, should seriously be held as model employees. The others, the other teachers that witnessed but did report it should be separated from the school department. Thank God for the one going forward. The principal, needs time off without pay. The officers that did not respond, shame on you! Hope nothing ever happens to your children or your children’s children’s. The Superintendent, step down. The HCS director, should be let go. How dare you try to cover up. You now have the residents of New Bedford with and without children going to view you under a microscope, insisting your departure from the school department.
Unfreakin believable as to the response of all involved in central administration. Unacceptable!
Where is the superintendent????????????????????
The Superintendent seems to be working late now a days.
NBPS site notes April 14, 2025 next school committee meeting!
As a friend of one of the kimball children I heard about this first hand and just to say K.K from what I hear is a nice girl and I feel horrible that the family has to go through this. The teacher responsible should be put in jail. This is unreal and horrible what that teacher did— was a horrible thing and she should be looked down upon and put in jail. This was abuse disgusting.❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
Agreed, I pray it will happen and all involved that delayed in protecting the child.
I am contacting the ADA civil justice. This can never happen to anyone, especially a child again.
It will continue to happen, human nature.
School Committee meeting next Monday, let them know “We’re not going to take it anymore.”
That what happen to her that was why i heared someone yelled in the hallway. And I go to that school.
Anytime you feel unsafe in school or anywhere get an adult. Sorry you had to hear that it must of been scary.
Disgusted with NBPS administrators. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
The residents of New Bedford will not tolerate anyone who is inappropriate in reporting such incidents as we will not tolerate the employee who did the assaulting. She is hoping it’s going to go away. It’s not. I will make sure of that. KK did not deserve the assault and the attempt to cover up. Thank God for the teacher who came forward and the sro.
For the record….”Civil penalties may run as high as $92,383 for a first violation or $184,767 for a subsequent violation. Some states have laws similar to the ADA, but they are enforced in the state’s court system or by local civil rights commissions.”
Dear KK, I thought of you today, I want you to know, we are doing everything to keep the bad people away. Know many are send you caring thoughts think of us when you see “forget me knots”.
KK, I am sending in for help! I will “forget you not”
Much thanks to the police officer that would not let this go. Thank you!
The teacher that reported the episode and the officer that kept on are “Heroes”.
HCS director must be reprimanded for her mishandling of this situation.
The residents of New Bedford have a right to have those who mishandled these actions, showing them incompetent with the handling with the safety of our children, removed from positions due to negligence.
June school committee meeting, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.