Police: Teacher, aides locked kids with autism in dark bathroom, punished child with whistle

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. A Florida special education teacher and her two aids are charged with abusing two children who have autism by blowing a whistle in one of the child’s ear and locking the other one in a dark bathroom.

The Northwest Florida Daily News reportsthat teacher Margaret Wolthers surrendered Tuesday to Okaloosa County sheriff’s investigators to face aggravated child abuse charges. Aides Diana LaCroix and Carolyn Madison had already surrendered.

Investigators say on different occasions the teacher and aides ‘intentionally and maliciously’ blew a whistle in the ear of a child with a low sensory auditory threshold who wore earphones to protect him from loud noises,” the department said in a news release, according to the Miami Herald. “They also threatened him with a whistle.

The teachers allegedly blew the whistle within inches of the child ears

​th warrant states that “ This was done while holding the victim’s arms down keeping him from protecting himself by covering his ears”