She was too cruel for school.
A Brooklyn Catholic school teacher allegedly put a 3-year-old student in a cardboard box inside a locked closet, and threatened the terrified child that the “Grinch” was coming for him, The Post has learned.
Alexis Breeden, the lead 3-K teacher at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Windsor Terrace, was arrested on Feb. 28 and charged with unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, four weeks after allegedly imposing the twisted timeout, according to a criminal complaint.
6
A lead 3-K teacher at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Brooklyn was arrested after allegedly putting a child in a cruel time out in a closet in February. J.C. Rice
6
Alexis Breeden was fired from St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy following the February incident that led to the 3-K program being shut down while investigations were underway. Facebook St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy
“Simply put, there are no imaginable circumstances where this can be called anything but child abuse,” said John Elefterakis of Elefterakis, Elefterakis & Panek, which is working with the family of the child, who have requested anonymity.
“This incident is extremely troubling, and we intend to fully investigate and force accountability,” Elefterakis said.
On Feb. 2, the school nurse witnessed Breeden holding the handle of the storage closet door shut as a child cried inside, according to a complaint filed with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
The nurse told Breeden to open the door and when Breeden unlocked it, the nurse observed “a 3-year-old child crying inside the closet in a large cardboard box,” the complaint stated.
The freaky mask was kept in the classroom closet and had been used by the teacher for weeks to threaten kids, according to parents. “The Grinch is in there,” the teacher would tell the tots, according to a parent with knowledge of the incident.
The nurse reported the disturbing discovery and the K-3 program was immediately shut down as the city Health Department and NYPD began probes of child-abuse allegations.
The tax-payer-funded, city-run Universal 3-K program, which is located on Prospect Park West behind Holy Name of Jesus Church, reopened Tuesday.
Breeden, of Castleton Corners, Staten Island, was fired soon after the incident. She was charged with unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the district attorney’s office. She pled not guilty and was released on her own recognizance, according to court records.
6
The teacher allegedly told the boy “the grinch” was coming for him. fun.com
The Brooklyn diocese says it “took immediate action upon learning of a safe environment code of conduct violation,” according to the Catholic newspaper The Tablet.
“The child did not sustain any injuries and out of respect for the student, we will not provide any additional details about this incident,” a diocesan statement said.
The $6,600-a-year-tuition Catholic school serves about 280 students.
The shocking incident was allegedly not the only case of alleged bullying toward children at the school, which touts its nurturing parochial environment, according to Elefterakis.
“Unfortunately, our initial inquiry has revealed that this is not the first instance at this school where helpless children were subject to abusive behavior,” he said.
Parents bashed the school in online reviews for a pervasive “culture of bullying” among students and staff, teachers that make kids cry and a harsh “disciplinarian” principal, Stephanie Ann Germann.
6
Parents were concerned about 3-K teacher Alexis Breeden’s teaching and disciplinary approaches and had voiced their worries to the school, according to sources. Facebook Alexis Breeden
Parents tell The Post that there have been concerns about Breeden since she started in 2020.
“It’s just outrageous and unacceptable that this could have happened in the first place,” said one parent, who pulled her son from the school last year over safety concerns. “The principal has been warned about this teacher’s behavior for years now.”
“We’ve had concerns since the beginning of the year,” another parent told The Post. “All the kids in her class started acting differently. They weren’t their usual 3-year-old selves anymore.”
Her 3-year-old is now on a waiting list for another school.
Another class parent said the scenario since February has been “horrific” and will have “lasting psychological consequences.” “It goes beyond one bad apple,” she wrote in a parent Facebook group.
“The school has completely ignored the parents in the affected class,” she added.
Another Windsor Terrace mom also pulled her son from the K-3 program over safety concerns as well as dissatisfaction with the teaching practices, she said.
“I also think about all the other kids who witnessed this,” she told The Post. “You never know how trauma affects small children’s brains … it’s very delicate with 3-year-olds.”
6
Breeden was arrested following an investigation regarding an allegation of child abuse at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy in Brooklyn. J.C. Rice
Breeden, 30, did not have a valid teaching certification until March 2021, according to state records, despite starting at the school in 2020.
“The emergency COVID license — which allowed teachers to work before passing the required exams amid pandemic-related delays — expired in August 2023 and no license was reissued for the current school year in which she was teaching.”
Breeden taught for four years before starting at SJWCA, according to the school’s social media, but it was not immediately clear where.
6
St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy is a 3-K through 8th grade Catholic academy located in Windsor Terrace. J.C. Rice
Principal Stephanie-Ann Germann in October told an education site that the school saw “consistent leadership turnover” in recent years with four principals in four years.
Germann described “lots of negativity within our parent culture and our student culture,” teachers leaving and low enrollment, according to an article from the social-emotional learning program Responsive Classroom. Germann employed the model, which she said helped increase collaboration and kindness, at SJWCA.
Breeden said she would not comment on the incident and her lawyer said he had no comment.
Additional reporting by Kathianne Boniello
News Related-
Panthers-Senators brawl ends in 10-minute penalty for all players on ice
-
Mom of 2 goes missing after leaving mental health treatment in Texas, never boarding plane to California to see kids for Thanksgiving
-
Freed Israeli hostage describes deteriorating conditions while being held by Hamas
-
High stakes and glitz mark the vote in Paris for the 2030 World Expo host
-
RBA boss Michele Bullock concedes borrowers ‘very unhappy’ with rate hikes
-
Australians on alert for scammers after bushfire destroys 18 homes, businesses
-
OnlyFans star Seb Guilhaus set to plead to drug trafficking charges in January
-
Armed gang terrorise couple in violent home invasion
-
LeBron James takes NBA all-time minutes lead in career-worst loss
-
Vikings' Kevin O'Connell to evaluate Josh Dobbs, path forward at QB
-
Lee Hsien Yang ordered to pay damages to Shanmugam, Vivian for defaming them over Ridout Road rentals
-
Cow of breed that produces high-end Japanese beef rakes in record $271,000 at auction
-
North Korea cites rare dissent in elections even as 99% back candidates
-
Faulty pipe caused water leakage and ‘very bad odour’ at Jem mall