Kansas Special Education Teacher charged with child abuse

Lea Ann Franklin

A special education teacher in Arma, Kansas is charged with child abuse.

37-year-old Lea Ann Franklin, a special education teacher at Northeast Elementary and Junior High School, is charged with abusing a child between January and April of this year.

A parent of one of Franklin's students, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she pulled her son out of Franklin's class as soon another parent told her about the abuse in April.

"It's the most shocking and scary thing that you could possibly imagine," she said. "It's your worst fear come true. The second we pulled him out of that classroom, everything changed. He was happy about school again. With my son, it was more verbal, emotional and there was some physical abuse."

Franklin was an employee of SEK Interlocal, an agency which provides special education services to area schools.

Parents say they are disappointed in the way the school district has handled their concerns.

"I would have felt more comfortable and a lot less angry if the school had come to me and said this is what your child was exposed to," the anonymous parent said. "Instead, it was not reported, and that's the scary thing. Why? Why not tell the parents this is what's going on with your student?"

She says parents are hopeful the district will take different action in the future.

"To be completely honest, I'm just sad," the parent said. "I'm sad it had to come to this. I'm sad that this problem exists. You get that initial report, and it's just shock, that this couldn't happen to my kid. Well it did, and it can."

Franklin has been released on $5,000 bond, with her first court appearance scheduled for August 3.


* Original Story*

(From Crawford County Sheriff's Office) 

On June 30, 2015 the Crawford County Jail took 37 year old Lea Ann Franklin of Arma, KS into custody after an the Arma Police Department arrested Franklin in Arma on an arrest warrant issued by the District Court of Crawford County.

The warrant alleges that Franklin unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly inflicted cruel and inhumane corporal punishment upon a child less than 18 years of age. In violation of K.S.A. 21-5602(a)(3), Abuse of a Child, a severity level 5 person felony. The warrant indicates that the alleged crime occurred between January 4, 2015 and April 20, 2105 in Crawford County, Kansas.

The warrant stems from an investigation conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Department of Children and Families. 

The investigation alleges that Franklin, an employee of SEK Interlocal, abused a student while working as an educator at Northeast Elementary in Arma.

Franklin was released after posting a $5,000 bond.


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