On Sept. 18, a school aide at McNinch Primary School in Moundsville reportedly witnessed a horrifying incident in which a teacher grabbed a 6-year-old girl — nonverbal and on the autism spectrum — by the neck with both hands and squeezed. That aide took the girl to the nurse’s office, who took photos of red marks on the girl’s neck.

Then, the aide took the correct next step: reporting the incident to the school’s principal. After that, it seems, Principal Jane Duffy and Erin Cuffaro, district director of special programs, did not have the sense of urgency or desire to the right thing for the student that the aide and nurse had.

A West Virginia state trooper has viewed video of the incident, and another from Sept. 16. Teacher Kiersten Moses faces a felony count of strangulation, two felon

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