LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A former Indiana teacher has received her punishment for making a special needs student eat his own vomit.
Sara Seymour was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge of neglecting a dependent.
According to police, Seymour was a Life Skills teacher at Brown Elementary School in Brownsburg, Indiana, when the incident occurred on February 16, 2023. Brownsburg is situated in central Indiana, less than 22 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
A security camera in the lunchroom caught Seymour telling a special needs student to eat his own vomit.
According to FOX59 News, the former teacher told the student that if he vomited, he would have to eat it. Police said that when the boy threw up, an aide, Debra Kanipe, gave him a spoon.
Seymour and Kanipe stood on either side of the student as he ate some of it and wiped up the rest with paper towels.
School officials were unaware of the incident until April 2023, when Seymour was fired and a police investigation began. Kanipe and another person were fired, according to FOX59, and a fourth person, a contractor who was not employed by the school district, resigned.
As part of Seymour’s plea agreement, the court dismissed an additional charge of failure to report.
According to court documents, she was sentenced to 365 days in jail with 363 days suspended on probation. She received credit for time served.
Seymour is also required to surrender her teaching license to the Indiana Department of Education. A no-contact order with the victim is also still in effect.
According to FOX59, the state does not want Seymour to work in a “direct-service position” with anyone under the age of 18. It also suggested that she stay at home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Four other teachers, including Kanipe, have been charged in the case. Police said they were either involved or witnessed the incident, but none reported it to school officials.
Kanipe was charged with neglecting a dependent and failing to file a report. According to FOX59, her case is still pending, with a jury trial scheduled for June.
