A former elementary school principal in California is facing charges of cruelty to a minor after a video surfaced that appears to show him shoving a student to the ground.
Brian Vollhardt, the former principal at Wolters Elementary school in Fresno, is the administrator in the video who can be seen pushing a student in the chest during breakfast time on June 7, KTVU reported.
The student, who the Fresno Unified School District said was a special needs student, was interacting with Vollhardt and staff when the former principal opted not to deescalate the situation, but to “aggressively shove the student down” instead.
Vollhardt was going to be disciplined by the school district but instead decided to resign from his position.
Bob Nelson, the superintendent for the district, shared that Vollhardt’s actions were “repugnant.” He continued saying that his actions were “absolutely not tolerated at any level within Fresno Unified.”
Both the police and Child Protective Services were notified of the incident, according to the district. However, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said that while the district reported it on June 9, he was not aware of it until last week on Sept. 6.
In a statement, the chief shared that he does not stand for Vollhardt’s actions and that after being made aware, his department moved quickly to build a case.
“I can tell you as a police chief in this community, I have a real problem as to the way that this child was treated. As a parent of a 9-year-old kid, which is a very similar age to the victim in this case and who also suffers from anxiety and doesn’t always handle situations in the best way, it is troubling as to how somebody who is supposed to protect this child and provide support, treated them,” Balderrama said.
Vollhardt will now be arranged on a misdemeanor charge of willful cruelty to a minor at the end of the month.
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