STAMFORD -- A local family said they have taken their 6-year-old autistic son out of Stamford Public Schools after a teacher was arrested, according to Stamford Police, for allegedly shoving the child to the ground and dragging him by his arms and legs.

"This is one of the worst experiences of our life because we've never seen bullying like this on an autistic child," said Steeve Lubin, the father of the student, who is non-verbal.

Jennifer Sandoval, the teacher, was removed from Northeast Elementary School the same day as the alleged incident, which took place Sept. 9, according to the school district.

She was working in Stamford schools as an employee of the Stepping Stones Group, which whom Stamford schools entered into a contract starting in 2023 to provide special education teachers and paraeducators for Stamford classrooms where there were vacancies because of ongoing special education teacher shortages across the country.

It is unclear if Sandoval remains employed by Stepping Stones Group. The organization did not respond to a request for comment. The Stepping Stones Group is not affiliated with the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk.

Philip Russell, the attorney representing Sandoval, could not immediately be reached for comment.

In a Sept. 9 memorandum to Michael Fernandes, the district's chief staff and family resource officer, Kerriann Duffy Boucher, an assistant director of special education for Stamford schools, described what occurred inside the classroom.

According to the memorandum, at about 8:45 a.m. that day, Boucher entered Sandoval's classroom, which was for students with autism.

Boucher, in the document, described the student as being "clearly dysregulated" and "having a difficult time controlling his body" when she first entered.

"Upon my entrance into the classroom, I witnessed the teacher shove this young man into a large therapy pillow on the floor (in what appeared to be a cool down corner)," she wrote. "The student got up and lunged at the teacher in a kicking motion. The teacher grabbed the student's foot and dragged him back to the pillow."

The student got up again, but a registered behavior technician in the classroom got between him and Sandoval, according to Boucher's report.

"The student side stepped the RBT and lunged and spit on the teacher," Boucher wrote. "At that time the teacher turned to me and stated 'Did you see that; this needs to be documented? This student cannot be in this classroom.'"

Sandoval allegedly then left the room, saying she needed a break, according to the memorandum.

A school psychologist and the behavior technician escorted the student to a cool down room and his parents were called, the document said.

"I explained what had occurred and that a report was being filed with (the Department of Children and Families)," Boucher wrote. " I also shared with the student's mother that we would like to schedule a (planning and placement team) meeting to discuss what we can recommend to better support her son's educational needs."

Boucher wrote that Sandoval was no longer allowed in the classroom. She also wrote that the school nurse checked over Lubin's son and did not find any visible signs of injury.

"The classroom teacher was removed from the classroom and the staffing agency was contacted that we would be notifying DCF of this incident and the teacher would not be permitted to return pending the DCF investigation," she wrote.

Peter Yazbak, director of communications for DCF, confirmed that the agency is investigating the matter.

"Stamford Public Schools takes the safety and well-being of our students extremely seriously, and we took immediate steps to ensure this individual was removed from the classroom and that their actions were reported to the proper authorities as well as to the service provider who assigned this individual to work in one of our schools," Kathleen Steinberg, spokesperson for the district, said in a statement.

Lubin and the child's mother approached Stamford Police the day after the incident to file a report. About a week later, police arrested Sandoval, who lives in Stamford.

Sandoval, 50, was arraigned on a charge of risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace, said Stamford Police Lt. Jerry Junes. She is next scheduled to appear in court Dec. 18.

"She was observed carrying him in an inappropriate manner by his arms," Junes said. "At some point, she tossed him on a small beanbag chair."

Junes added that Sandoval allegedly pulled the student by his legs as well. He said the incident was isolated.

"The school district does not believe that there are any other students that have been affected by (Sandoval's) actions," Junes said.

Lubin, who lives in Bridgeport, said his son's mother Sindy Camille moved from Stamford to Norwalk after the Sept. 9 incident and their child now attends Kendall Elementary School in Norwalk.

Lubin said the family changed school districts because they had lost faith in Stamford schools. The transition has been a difficult one, as Lubin and Camille have missed many days of work after taking their son out of Northeast. Camille almost lost her job, Lubin said.

"It's been a rough, rough experience," he said.

Lubin said he has noticed differences in his son's behavior, which he attributed to his time at Northeast.

While he can't say many words, Lubin's son can say the word "hurt," which he would mutter after coming home from school, Lubin said. He's also noticed that when he raises his voice to get his son to stop doing something, his son begins to cry.

"He wasn't like that before," Lubin said. "My son is left with a trauma that completely changed him."

The family also sought the help of family advocate Brenda Penn-Williams, president of the Norwalk NAACP and chair of the Norwalk Housing Board of Commissioners.

Penn-Williams said she began taking on clients in the Stamford school system last year and was forceful in her condemnation of the school district.

"Stamford Public Schools need to be investigated, especially when it comes to kids with disabilities, kids of color," she said. "I truly feared for (the student's) life and he had to get out of that Stamford Public Schools system."