CCSD special education teacher accused of pushing student
A Clark County School District special education teacher has been accused of forcefully shoving a student to the point of him losing his balance and nearly falling to the ground.
Kenneth Greenburg, 63, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of abuse of a vulnerable person on Sept. 25, according to his arrest report.
Greenburg was a special education teacher at Bailey Middle School and has been with the school district since August 2016. He has been placed on leave.
Two witnesses, whose names were redacted in the arrest report, said they saw Greenburg shove a student forcefully with both hands, causing the student to wobble and nearly fall.
Assistant Principal Allyson Butto told police that she did not see the specific incident, but had seen “unacceptable” behavior from Greenburg in the hallway. She said she had heard a student screaming in the hallway while being escorted by Greenburg. Butto told police that the student often vocalized loudly due to his condition. She also said that she heard Greenburg yell at the student, saying that the bus would not take him if he continued to scream.
Greenburg denied shoving the student. He said that he raised his hands defensively and then “transitioned directly into the bear hug.”
Police said his written statement was different than the oral interview. In it, Greenburg described the student as “very low functioning.” He wrote that the student had began hitting him in the back, chest and head while screaming, and that he tried to calm him down verbally. When that was unsuccessful, Greenburg said he bear-hugged him.
He said he accidentally collided with the student, causing the student to lose his footing for a moment.
Another witness in the report said that the student has been enrolled in the school since age 2, and had not encountered any issues with teachers until this year. The witness said a notable change in behavior occurred since the student began attending school with Greenburg and that he frequently appeared upset after returning home.
The witness said that staff members have informed her that Greenburg often becomes frustrated with the student and yells at him, leading to the student crying.
In the days following, when Greenburg was absent, she said the student had resumed his “previous demeanor,” according to the report.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X.
