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Patrick O’Donnell
Superior Sun
An altercation between Patrick O’Donnell, superintendent of the Superior School District, and a 7-year-old special needs student will apparently result in charges of child abuse and aggravated assault being filed against O’Donnell.
Superior Police Chief Mark Nipp told the Superior Sun that the police department’s investigation of the incident resulted in a recommendation that O’Donnell be charged by the Pinal County Attorney’s Office. As of late Monday, those charges were still pending.
As news of the police investigation became known, the Superior School Board voted to put O’Donnell on paid administrative leave during an emergency meeting last Friday evening.
The investigation began early last week after the 7-year-old boy accused O’Donnell of hitting his head on a table in the aftermath of the special needs student being escorted off a school bus following an altercation with another student. Security video showed O’Donnell, who also is principal of Superior’s Kennedy Elementary School, where the boy attends first grade, tightly holding onto the child’s wrist while taking him to his office to wait for a ride home. When the boy’s older brother arrived to drive him home, he told police he witnessed O’Donnell forcibly push the younger boy into a chair, which O’Donnell admitted to the police.
During their investigation, police uncovered a second incident captured on video from Dec. 11, 2014, during which O’Donnell was seen slowly pushing a small table until it pinned the boy sitting in a chair between the table and the wall. The young student was not injured during the incident though continued to move and rock the table afterwards.
Police were alerted to the incident by the boy’s mother, Michelle Thompson, who has since pulled the child out of school, “for fear for his life.” She told ABC15 News that the boy had brain surgery two years ago to correct problems causing him to suffer epileptic seizures. Any injury to his head while he is still recovering could be life threatening, she said, adding that after the incident, when she noticed a visible mark on the child’s forehead she rushed him to be checked out by a doctor.
Superior police, however, reported that the boy had not been injured.
As a result of the surgery, the boy is having to relearn basic skills like discipline and reasoning, Thompson added.
ABC15 News also reported that a Kennedy School secretary told police of witnessing other incidents between O’Donnell and other children, but feared retaliation if she reported them. Superior police are investigating to determine if there are other victims.
After voting to put O’Donnell on paid administrative leave, members of the Superior School Board have refused further comment on the matter, on the advice of the district’s attorney.
O’Donnell has not been arrested but has been barred from school property until legal matters are settled.
“The Superior Police Department takes violence on campus very seriously, recognizing that schools should be safe places, and will continue to investigate reports of school violence vigorously,” Chief Nipp said.
“The school district will continue to cooperate with the Superior Police Department in their ongoing investigation,” members of the school board promised in a statement.
James J. Hodl is a career journalist who has worked for newspapers, magazines and trade journals. A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, Hodl began his career as a reporter with the Palatine (IL) Herald and the Morton Grove (IL) Review before becoming editor of the trade publication Appliance Service News. In recent years, Hodl has had articles published in Consumers Digest, Good Housekeeping, Home Remodeling, Kitchens & Baths and Salute; and has contributed to trade publications serving the home furnishings, restaurant and casino markets. A native of Chicago, Hodl relocated to San Tan Valley in 2013.
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