Monroe County, Pa. — A teacher charged with three counts of child abuse after allegedly abusing a young boy with autism, who was also his student, found six out of the nine charges filed against her dropped by Magisterial District Judge Brian Germano.
Suzanne Dellorusso, who worked as a support staff for Middle Smithfield Elementary School’s Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, was charged with three separate counts of: Endangering the Welfare of Children, Harassment, and Simple Assault.
The charges filed against Dellorusso stemmed from three separate incidents wherein two of her coworkers testified that they witnessed her slapping the young child with autism on his arms, pushed him against the wall by his neck, and even pulling him by his hair.
Judge Germano dropped three counts of the simple assault charges as well as three counts of harassment charges against Dellorusso; while he forwarded all three counts of child welfare endangerment charges against her to a county court.
Dellorusso declined to comment on questions after the charges filed against her were dropped, but her lawyer, Matthew Sedacca, told:
“I think the judge saw it for what it was. It was simply reactionary techniques used by my client. You know, it wasn’t a purposeful act of winding up and hitting a student. She was being attacked physically.”
Source: PA Homepage website: Judge Drops Some Charges Against School Worker Accused of Mistreating Autistic Boy