Teacher sprayed autistic son with Lysol, mother says

The mom said the boy became clingy and refused to go to school and no one seemed to know why.????

For awhile, 8-year-old J.R. Risby became clingy and didn’t want to go back to school at L.O. Kimberly Elementary School.

Eventually, the child with autism told his mother, Kimberly, that his teacher sprayed him with Lysol in class, Channel 2 Action News reported.

And Kimberly Risby said a school leader told her, “I'm so sorry. I thought it stopped.”

The teacher, Dorcas Noland, told Channel 2 she never sprayed any child, only sprayed Lysol in the air and sprayed herself after J.R. Risby sneezed in her face.

But Atlanta Public Schools told Channel 2 in a statement, “Ms. Noland resigned in lieu of termination as the result of an investigation that confirmed she sprayed Lysol on students.”

“We trust these individuals, these educators, to protect our kids,” Antonio Risby, the boy’s father, said.

Noland was then hired by DeKalb County Schools in June but resigned in September, the station reported. The reason for her resignation is not known.

DeKalb schools said Noland did not work with special-needs students there.

“It's a huge concern and one of the things I was wary about sending him to school,” Kimberly Risby said. “I’m hurt, I’m bothered, I’m outraged.”

Know what's really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC's crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.