A school administrator at Rollins Place Elementary School near Baton Rouge has been arrested on a felony charge of cruelty to juveniles after allegedly forcing a 6-year-old student to clean up her own feces following an accident caused by a dairy allergy.
Kristy Scott Gilpin turned herself in to the East Baton Rouge Parish jail Monday morning. The arrest stems from an incident that occurred in January, and investigators say surveillance video from the school played a key role in the felony arrest warrant being issued. Gilpin was released on a $25,000 bond.
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The incident came to light after the child’s mother, Jamisha Augustine, reported that her daughter, who has a dairy allergy, was given milk at school. Augustine alleges that her daughter repeatedly asked to use the restroom but was denied, leading to an accident. Augustine further claims that her daughter was then forced to clean up the mess as a form of discipline.
Superintendent Ben Necaise of Zachary Community Schools stated that the actions of the teacher and principal were not condoned and that a child should never be put in such a situation.
However, Gilpin’s attorney, John McLindon, disputes the mother’s account, claiming the child intentionally smeared feces on the wall and floor and was given proper cleaning materials to clean it up.
“This is not a child that was sick,” McLindon said. “This was a child that was engaging in bad behavior. It wasn’t a lot to clean up and she was given the proper wipes and she cleaned it up and that was the end of it.”
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McLindon also stated that the arrest has “devastated” Gilpin, who he described as a “rockstar teacher” with strong community support.
Attorneys representing the child’s mother refuted McLindon’s claims, asserting that the investigation, including interviews and surveillance footage, supports the mother’s account.
“What I can say to those who think this is fabricated, do you think the Zachary Police Department after doing an extensive investigation is going to go as far as to get a felony warrant if this is based off of gross misrepresentations?” Attorney Ron Haley said. “I can tell you that it’s not. This is done based on interviews, surveillance footage. This is not just taking a mother’s word or a child’s word for this and running amuck. That is not what happened here.”
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