A preschool teacher in Connecticut has been arrested after she allegedly dragged a student into the hallway and left him unattended for several minutes.
Stacy Vaughn-Marcella was charged with one felony count of risk of injury to a child in connection to a December 1, 2025, incident at the University of Hartford Magnet School, according to the Hartford Courant.
Police launched an investigation into the matter one day after a woman who picked the boy up from school said she learned about the incident at dismissal, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The woman later viewed video from the classroom, and she told investigators that the footage showed the child being dragged by his feet before he was left alone in the hallway for several minutes.
The incident took place shortly before the students had their nap time. The boy — who was in a classroom with other 3- and 4-year-olds — became upset because he couldn’t join a play station, so he started to throw items around the classroom.
Witnesses said that the boy climbed onto a bookshelf and started “tearing things off the wall,” according to CT Insider.
Vaughn-Marcella helped the boy down from the bookshelf, though the incident escalated when the boy laid down and the teacher allegedly “dragged him by the feet out the door to a common area.” Witnesses said that the boy remained in the hallway for about five to 10 minutes, according to the affidavit.
The boy “repeatedly threw a wooden object” at the classroom door while he was in the hallway. It wasn’t until a staff member found him “crying in a corner” that he left the hallway and was taken to a behavior specialist.
A paraeducator also spoke to investigators about the incident, saying that the boy had been kicking on the ground when Vaughn-Marcella grabbed his legs. He was then dragged approximately 10 to 12 feet out of the classroom, per the Courant.
Police also reviewed surveillance video of the incident. An officer noted the child appeared to be in “distress” when he was left outside of the classroom.
The boy was later taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for evaluation because he was “not acting himself,” though doctors were unable to find any injuries.
While speaking to investigators, Vaughn-Marcella denied intentionally dragging the child and claimed the boy “rolled his back on the floor and began kicking her with ‘all of his might.’” She said that he was acting with “rage and anger,” so she grabbed one of his legs to stop him from kicking. However, she claimed he wouldn’t stop and “he flailed and kicked her with a different foot.”
“As [the child] continued to kick in her direction, his body was moving on the floor,” she told police, adding that “she let him go” once they reached the door.
Vaughn-Marcella said she left the boy in the hallway because she believed he could hurt other children, though she insisted she was monitoring him through a glass door.
She was arrested January 22 and was later released when she posted a $5,000 bond. Vaughn-Marcella is next scheduled to appear in court on April 29.
It is not currently clear if Vaughn-Marcella has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. The Hartford Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
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