Police: CCSD sub struck special needs student with backpack

Police reports are shedding new light on the case of a Clark County School District substitute teacher charged with hitting special needs students.

On Feb. 1, school police responded to Lake Elementary School, near Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway, after reports that a student had been battered by a staff member.

Witnesses told police that two days earlier, 66-year-old substitute Roberta McIntyre raised her foot in a kicking motion, knocking a student to the ground as the student charged at McIntyre, according to a Clark County School District Police Department arrest report released this week.

A day later, when a student standing on a table wouldn’t get down, McIntyre flipped the table over. According to the report, the table broke and McIntyre grabbed the student by the hair to get them off the floor and said, “You like that?” to the student.

Another witness told police that McIntyre filled a backpack to weigh 20-25 pounds and tried to make a student wear the backpack to keep the student seated. The student refused, and the witness saw McIntyre hit the student in the face, neck and chest with the backpack, the report said.

Because of names being redacted from the report, it is not clear how many different students McIntyre is alleged to have abused. Court records show that McIntyre was charged with one count of felony child abuse or neglect. Two counts of the same charge were dropped by the district attorney’s office.

The school district said McIntyre had been a substitute in the district since 2016. After her arrest, McIntyre was removed from the district’s substitute pool and is no longer eligible to work in the district.

McIntyre was released from custody and ordered to stay away from the school and to stay out of trouble. She is due in court on July 1.

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com.