A Wake County Schools special education teacher charged with assaulting students appeared in court for the first time.
Scott Swartzfager has been charged with hurting five students with disabilities ranging in age from five to 10 years old at Carver Elementary.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Authorities said the crimes happened in the classroom.
On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that Carver’s principal reported that several teachers witnessed the assaults that warrants said happened on May 6.
Swartzfager's lawyer argued that the teacher is not a flight risk.
"He was completely cooperative with law enforcement in their investigation. He's supported here today by his wife," he said.
According to Wake County Public Schools, Swartzfager had been at Carver since August.
He previously worked at Lead Mine Elementary as a teacher assistant as far back as January 2017.
"Every single child that suffers from abuse needs us to show up and care for them," said Cristin DeRonja, executive director of SAFEchild, a nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention.
"Often times, children with special needs are more vulnerable because of those disabilities whether it be the inability to verbally communicate, whether it might be a physical limitation," she continued.
WRAL previously reported on another Carver Elementary teacher charged and suspended after being accused of assaulting a student with a disability.
As the school community grapples with another troubling assault case, the judge ruled Swartzfager cannot contact any of the victims or witnesses and is barred from going back to Carver Elementary as part of his release conditions.
A letter sent out to parents yesterday said Swartzfager has been suspended while the district does its own investigation.
Prosecutors also noted they plan to lower some of the charges to misdemeanors saying the nature of the assaults don't qualify as a felony.
Swartfager is expected back in court in June.
Watch Swartzfager's entire court appearance here.