Las Vegas teacher accused of hitting autistic child gets charge reduced

The case against a Las Vegas elementary school teacher accused of hitting a 5-year-old autistic student with a stick was closed Monday after a felony child abuse charge was reduced to a misdemeanor and then dismissed.

Clark County School District police arrested Melody Carter, 58, in June after opening an investigation at Harmon Elementary. Carter was accused of hitting the student with a stick in May, according to a police report.

One substitute teacher’s aide told officers she saw the teacher hit the non-verbal student after telling him to put his shoes on, according to the report.

But another teaching assistant told police that she saw Carter tapping a student with the pointer the same day and that she was not hitting him hard. She also said she has never had to stop Carter from being physical with students.

The felony child abuse charge was reduced to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct, then dismissed Monday after Carter met the conditions of completing anger management counseling and staying out of trouble, court documents show.

Carter, who has worked in the district since 1996, is still assigned to home, according to the district.

A district spokesperson said that the district does not comment on individual personnel matters, but will determine next steps now that the judicial proceeding has concluded.

Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4630. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.