Columbus City School records show that Jodi Fullerton, a teacher who is accused of assaulting an autistic student in May, is employed by the district and assigned to a school amid an ongoing civil lawsuit.
Fullerton is assigned to Valley Forge Elementary, according to documents obtained by WOSU through a public records request. The records did not state if Fullerton is in a teaching role.
The alleged incident took at Parkmoor Elementary on May 3. Fullerton received a written reprimand for the incident. Her disciplinary record stated that this was due to having no prior disciplinary actions.
Fullerton is facing a lawsuit from the parents of a 5-year-old autistic child, who accuse her of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The lawsuit accuses Fullerton of kicking the child, who was refusing to move from the floor.
This incident does appear in Fullerton’s disciplinary record, but does not include that Fullerton kicked the student. The record states that the student kicked Fullerton. It also states that a remark was made by Fullerton instructing another teacher to kick the student was acknowledged by Fullerton as inappropriate, and that she was joking.
The district has not responded to requests for comment about Fullerton's continued employment.