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Inset: Stacy Vaughn Marcella (Hartford Police Department). Background: University of Hartford Magnet School where the incident allegedly took place (Google Maps).
In Connecticut, a 61-year-old preschool teacher faces serious allegations after reportedly dragging a young student by his feet across a classroom, then leaving him unattended in a hallway for several minutes. The incident concluded when another staff member intervened.
Stacy Vaughn-Marcella has been charged with a felony for risking injury to a child following the events of December 1 at the University of Hartford Magnet School, according to the Hartford Courant. The report was confirmed by court documents.
The investigation began the day after the incident when a woman, who picked up the child from school, was informed about the situation during dismissal. She later reviewed the classroom video footage, which she claimed showed Vaughn-Marcella dragging the child by his feet and leaving him alone in the corridor.
The unsettling episode occurred just before nap time. The boy, in a classroom with other 3- and 4-year-olds, became upset after being denied access to a play station and began throwing items. Witness accounts reveal he climbed onto a bookshelf, pulling items off the wall, according to CT Insider.
The situation intensified after the boy was assisted off the bookshelf, escalating to the point where intervention became necessary.
Some witnesses told police Vaughn-Marcella took the boy down and, while he was lying on his back, “dragged him by the feet out the door to a common area,” where he remained for five to 10 minutes, the affidavit reportedly said. The teacher then closed the door.
While in the hallway, the boy “repeatedly threw a wooden object” at the classroom door, the report states. A staff member later found him “crying in a corner” and took him to see a behavior specialist.
A paraeducator similarly told investigators the boy had been kicking on the ground when Vaughn-Marcella grabbed his legs and dragged him approximately 10 to 12 feet out of the classroom, the Courant reported.
Surveillance video reviewed by police captured part of the incident, though the view was partially blocked. An officer noted the child appeared to be in “distress” after being left outside the room.
The child was later evaluated at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center after appearing dizzy and “not acting himself,” but doctors did not find any injuries, police said.
Vaughn-Marcella denied intentionally dragging the child. She told investigators the boy “rolled his back on the floor and began kicking her with ‘all of his might,’” describing his behavior as a fit of “rage and anger,” CT Insider reported. She said she grabbed one of his legs to stop the kicking, but “he flailed and kicked her with a different foot.”
“As [the child] continued to kick in her direction, his body was moving on the floor,” she told police, adding that when they reached the door, “she let him go out the door” and closed it.
She said she left the boy in the hallway because she believed he could hurt other children and claimed she could still monitor him through a glass door.
While the incident occurred in December 2025, parents of all students were not notified until late March, when an email was sent stating that a staff member had been arrested in connection with an on-campus incident, WFSB reported. The message did not identify Vaughn-Marcella or detail the allegations, prompting some parents to question the delay.
Vaughn-Marcella was arrested Jan. 22 and later released on a $5,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 29.
School officials said the teacher was placed on administrative leave immediately after the allegation surfaced and will not return.
“CREC Magnet Schools placed the individual on administrative leave in December, immediately after an allegation was made, and confirmed that the individual would not return to any CREC school after the individual’s arrest,” Superintendent Sasha Douglas said in a statement. “Families of students who worked directly with the staff member were notified of the leave in December, as soon as the investigation was opened. At that time, CREC also took immediate steps to secure qualified staffing and ensure that student instruction continued without significant interruption. At the direction of legal counsel, the school proceeded with broader communication once we were assured that it would not interfere with the integrity of the active investigation or internal personnel procedures.”