Former Newtown Preschool Employee Charged With Endangering Welfare Of Children

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — A former preschool employee from Newtown Borough has been charged with endangering the welfare of children and simple assault for her "rough" handling of a 2-year-old boy under her care in July.

On July 24, the Newtown Township Police Department received a ChildLine report of suspected child abuse at the Newtown Discovery Preschool located on Blacksmith Road. The report, which was initiated by the school, was for an incident that happened earlier that day involving a two-year-old boy and 28-year-old employee, Erin Elizabeth Burke, of Newtown.

The report said that the boy had sustained superficial scratches on the right side of his neck, a scratch and abrasion to the back of his right arm and two scratches to the upper bicep of the left arm. Photos of the injuries were later provided to police by the boy's mother and by the preschool.

According to court documents, Burke self-reported the incident to the school's management triggering a review of security footage and the filing of the ChildLine report. After reviewing the security footage, school administrators sent Burke home.

The Bucks County Courier Times is reporting that Burke is no longer employed by the preschool.

The school provided investigators with written statements by Burke and a teacher who had witnessed the incident. They also provided police with security footage.

According to court documents, the security footage shows Burke becoming agitated while attempting to change the clothes of the crying two-year-old boy.

Burke, "in a clearly agitated manner," is shown trying to dress the boy, at one point lifting him off the ground by his wrist, at another point pushing his head into a pillow and also dropping him face down onto a cushioned mat from six inches in the air.

Once the boy was clothed, Burke retuned him to the carpet area where the rest of the class was seated. She then gathered her backpack and a bag of clothing and left the room to report the incident, court documents say.

"It is unclear when the injuries were sustained due to Burke not taking notice of the injuries and due to the multiple instances of these areas of the child being contacted in a rough manner," said court documents.

In an interview with detectives several days later, Burke told investigators she lost her cool and handled the situation in a very poor way. She also told investigators that she was frustrated that the child was crying. She also agreed with detectives that her actions were "too rough," court documents said.

Following an investigation by the Newtown Township Police Department's Detective Division, police charged Burke on August 6 with endangering the welfare of children, a third-degree felony, and simple assault.

Burke was arraigned on Thursday before District Judge Michael Petrucci. She is free on unsecured bond.