Former Mass. preschool teacher charged in connection with 'slamming children into tables'
A Hull woman is facing 16 criminal charges in connection with physically abusing five students at the Scituate preschool she taught at until recently, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Lilly Garofola, 29, has been charged with four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and 12 counts of assault and battery, according to court records and the district attorney's office. The alleged offenses took place at Little Steps Learning Center & Child Care on several different days between the dates of April 15 and May 12.
Garofola pleaded not guilty to the charges during her arraignment in Hingham District Court on Wednesday, according to court records. Neither the preschool nor Garofola's lawyer immediately responded to a request for comment on the allegations Wednesday afternoon.
Scituate police, the district attorney's office and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families began a joint investigation into Garofola after Scituate police received reports from concerned parents and Little Steps staff that she may have engaged in 'inappropriate physical conduct,' the district attorney's office said in a press release.
The investigation revealed that, in the last two months, Garofola assaulted five of the preschool's students during school hours, the district attorney's office said. The alleged abuse includes instances where she pushed children to the ground and slammed them into walls, tables and chairs.
Most of the abuse was caught on security camera footage, the district attorney's office said. Garofola has also been accused of verbally abusing students on multiple occasions.
The former teacher was suspended from her job at the preschool, but later resigned, the district attorney's office said. Scituate police arrested her Wednesday morning without incident.
Garofola was ordered held on $1,000 bail with release conditions that she not interact with children under the age of 16 or have any contact with witnesses in the case, the district attorney's office said. A judge denied the prosecution's motion that she be held pending a dangerousness hearing, as well as its recommendation that she be held on $50,000 bail.
'At this time, there is no indication of further immediate risk to students or the community,' the press release reads. 'The preschool is cooperating fully with investigators and has taken internal measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its students.'
Families with children enrolled at the preschool have been notified of the allegations against Garofola, the district attorney's office said. Anyone who believes their child may have had inappropriate contact with Garofola or has additional information relevant to the case is asked to call the Scituate Police Department at 781-545-1212.
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