Elementary students with disabilities hit, restrained and force-fed, NC cops say
A tip provided by a school superintendent in western North Carolina led to three of his employees being charged with assaulting students with disabilities, according to investigators.
Swain County Sheriff Brian Kirkland told WLOS evidence indicates five students were mistreated, and “each woman is charged with offenses involving different student victims.”
Court documents report the incidents happened in mid-February at East Elementary in Bryson City, and included children being struck, restrained, and subjected to “forced feeding.”
The acts were powerful enough in some instances to likely “inflict serious injury or serious damage on an individual with a disability,” an arrest warrant says.
The Swain County Sheriff’s Office said it began the investigation at the behest of Swain County Schools Superintendent Mark Sale, and worked with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation to identify three suspects.
They include:
- Donita Guest, who is charged with two counts of felony assault on an individual with a disability, one count of felony second-degree kidnapping, and four counts of misdemeanor assault on an individual with a disability.
- Melody Cloer, charged with one count of felony assault on an individual with a disability.
- Kathryn Shaver, charged with one count of misdemeanor assault on an individual with a disability.
Investigators have not released details of the roles the three women played at the school, which has about 350 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
“All three employees are on leave pending further investigation,” the school district said in a March 3 news release.
“The Swain County Schools cannot provide additional details because, under federal and State law, students and employees are entitled to confidentiality from the school system. ... From the beginning, Swain County Schools has fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so.”
Bryson City is about a 180-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 7:22 AM.