Bristol County teacher accused of slapping two 5-year-old students with autism

A local teacher is accused of assaulting two young students.

According to police, on Tuesday November 26, 2024, at just after 4:30 p.m., the Attleboro Police Department was contacted by a school administrator from the Thacher Elementary School located at 160 James St. in Attleboro reporting a staff member allegedly assaulting multiple students.

The initial investigation revealed that multiple staff members at the school witnessed 57-year-old Susan Martin, a licensed special education classroom teacher, physically assault students on at least two separate occasions that day.

One 5-year-old student was reportedly slapped in the face by Martin at approximately 11:55 a.m., and another 5-year-old student was reportedly pushed and slapped by Martin at approximately 1:00 p.m. Both victims are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Both incidents were witnessed by several other staff members, and occurred in a classroom setting.

Investigators learned that the first incident was reported to school administrators between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., approximately three hours prior to being reported to the police. The second incident then came to light after school administrators began speaking with other staff members after the first incident was reported.

Investigators learned that school administrators had asked Martin to leave the school after being placed on administrative leave several hours prior to reporting the incident to the police.

Attleboro Police Detectives assigned to the investigation subsequently secured an arrest warrant through the Attleboro District Court for Martin for two counts of assault and battery on a person with an intellectual disability.

She was unable to be immediately arrested after the issuance of the warrant because, investigators learned, she left the state on a pre-planned vacation to Florida.

On Monday December 9, 2024, Attleboro Police Detectives located Martin at her residence in Kingston, Massachusetts where she was taken into custody without incident. She was transported to the Attleboro Police station for booking, and was then brought to Attleboro District Court for arraignment.

Elements of this incident remain under active investigation.