Boardman schools 'intervention specialist' charged with violence against 9-year-old

CANFIELD

Tim Saxton, superintendent of Boardman schools, placed a teacher on administrative leave Friday after discovering she was charged with domestic violence and child endangering.

Mary Rowan, 37, of Palmyra Road, Canfield, is accused of pouring baby soap into the mouth of a 9-year-old child. The incident occurred at her home, and did not involve a student from Boardman schools. Rowan works as an intervention specialist at West Boulevard Elementary School.

A Mahoning County deputy sheriff responded to the home Thursday morning, according to a report, for a 911 medical call. There, the deputy reportedly found Rowan crying, holding a tissue to her bloody mouth.

Rowan, who is pregnant, told police she attempted to discipline a child who is not her own by pouring baby soap in his mouth “for misbehaving.” She reported a struggle then ensued.

Rowan told the deputy the child “was having a meltdown and screaming and acting like a wild animal,” according to a written statement in which she also described being concerned for her unborn child.

“I told him to stop screaming or he was going to get soap in his mouth. He continued to scream and act like a lunatic,” she wrote. “I tried to put baby soap in his mouth. He pushed me down trying to get away from me. I tried to grab his face to put the soap in but he kept fighting me, and pushing me down.”

A deputy reported the child “had several red bruises and scratches on the right side of his face,” according to the report. The child also reported that Rowan struck him with a wooden spoon.

Read more about the matter in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.