A South Carolina special education teacher, who was crowned 2025 Teacher of the Year at her charter school, was arrested after she was accused of punching a child.
Erin Wheeler, 34, was charged with unlawful child neglect for allegedly striking the child on Nov. 27, according to arrest records obtained by KWQC.
Wheeler, a teacher at South Carolina Whitmore School in Columbia, allegedly chased the child into a bathroom and continued punching them in the forehead and upper body as the victim attempted to defend themselves by blocking the blows.
Police said the victim sustained bruising on their arms from blocking the punches.
Authorities noted the alleged assault did not occur on school grounds.
Wheeler appeared in Lexington County court last week, where a judge set her bond at $2,500 and issued a no-contact order between her and the victim, KWQC reported.
The victim’s mother, who was not identified, blasted the court’s decision for handing the teacher what she described as a “low bond,” the outlet reported.
Charter school officials said they are aware of the allegations against Wheeler but emphasized the incident did not involve any of their students.
The school, which educates students in grades 9 through 12, said the educator was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
Wheeler was named Whitmore School’s 2025 Teacher of the Year in March for embodying “the essence of an outstanding educator,” Executive Director Kim Dunbar said in a statement.
“Her innovative approaches to special education have not only transformed the learning experiences for her students but have also set a benchmark for excellence within our school,” Dunbar said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have Erin as part of our team, and this award is a well-deserved acknowledgment of her hard work and impact.”
Wheeler earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia College in 2014 and 2017, and began teaching at the Whitmore School in 2015.
In Fall 2024, she enrolled at Arkansas State University to pursue an Education Specialist degree in Administration focused on principalship.
Three weeks before the alleged incident, Wheeler was featured across the Whitmore School’s various social media pages, advocating for how the school “empowers students and changes lives.”
Wheeler said her passion for education began in high school, where teachers inspired her to pursue the profession.
She chose to specialize in special education because her older sister was born deaf.
“I often saw how differently she was treated when we were in public, and that did not sit well with me,” Wheeler said.
“I just wanted people to understand that there was not anything wrong with my sister, she just could not hear. Exceptionalities do not make a person helpless, less intelligent, or unworthy of respect.”
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