Special Ed Teacher Exonerated—

Charges Dismissed Against Sandy Hook Woman

A judge in Philipstown Town Court in Putnam County, N.Y., has dismissed the final two pending criminal offenses against a Sandy Hook woman, who in May 2007 was charged with one count of third-degree assault and 11 counts of child endangerment.

Carmel, N.Y., police had pressed those charges against Tammy L. Card, 45, in connection with her work as a public school teacher in a special education program known as The Bridge.

Mrs Card was one of four special education staffers who were charged with criminal offenses involving special education students at Mahopac Falls Elementary School.

In a court decision issued on July 6, in which he dismissed the remaining two charges against Mrs Card, Judge Alan Steiner noted that the ten other charges against Mrs Card had been dismissed in his previous court decision dated July 27, 2010.

Attorney Keith S. Harriton of Harriton & Furrer, LLP, of Armonk, N.Y., representing Mrs Card, said in a statement, “In March 2007, Tammy L. Card was falsely accused of endangering the welfare of certain of her students in the Falls School. Mrs Card had nothing to hide and fully cooperated with the Carmel Police Department investigation.”

Atty Harriton added, “Mrs Card maintained from the beginning that the charges against her were utter nonsense and were the product of a witch hunt instigated by certain disgruntled classroom aides…who worked in The Bridge program for years without any complaints about Mrs Card.”

In its decision, the court found that “evidence of any intent on the defendant’s part to cause harm to her students in any way is lacking,” Mr Harriton added.

The court found that the four special education aides who had accused Mrs Card of wrongdoing lacked credibility in their accusations, the lawyer said. Also, the court was troubled by the conduct and methods exhibited by a police detective who investigated the case, Mr Harriton said.

“While it has been a pleasure exonerating [Mrs Card] of these malicious and false criminal charges, the process of restoring Mrs Card’s good name has only just begun, “ Mr Harriton said.

Mr Harriton described Mrs Card as a dedicated and celebrated special education teacher with sound academic credentials and vast professional experience, who was recruited in 1999 by the Mahopac Central School District to develop an educational program for young children with autism spectrum disorder.