8 School employees suspended in abuse case

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- There is more fallout in the case of suspected abuse at a peninsula preschool. Eight employees are now suspended at the same school where a teacher was arrested for assaulting special ed students.

The district would not say what kind of work the eight employees do, but sources tell ABC7 that they are teachers and teacher aids.

This all stems from allegations that special needs teacher Alexia Bogdis slapped and kicked two students over a two-month span from Dec. 2011 through Jan. 2012.

The district placed eight employees on administrative leave after an internal investigation showed they may not have followed proper procedures.

Bogdis is accused of slapping one boy in the face and kicking him in the stomach. She allegedly sent another boy crashing into a table after kicking his chair, twisting his wrist, and withholding food and drink from him. The boys are ages 4 and 5.

Thursday night, one of the boys' fathers, who wants to remain anonymous, had this to day about the action taking by the district: "The time to do something for the children's benefit has come and gone."

ABC7 also spoke with one of the boys' attorneys, Chris Dolan.

"So either there was a failure to train these teachers and aides on what their legal obligations were or there was some sort of fear imposed upon them that if they came forward, they would suffer some sort an adverse consequence of retaliation. So they basically put, it appears, their own interests ahead of those of the children," said Dolan.

Bogdis is out on $15,000 bail. She is charged with nine counts of child cruelty and assault.

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redwood city, peninsula news, lisa amin gulezian

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