District employees said Livonia teacher was physically aggressive

LIVONIA, Mich. (WXYZ) - Documents were released Monday regarding the investigation of a Livonia school teacher accused of being physically aggressive and verbally abusive with special needs pre-schoolers.

Action News Reporter Tom Wait first uncovered the allegations last summer: that Webster Elementary teacher Sharon Turbiak crossed the line her in classroom.

The documents are startling. One district employee wrote in March that she witnessed Turbiak grab a student “by the top of his head and jerk it back quite aggressively. ”

Another staffer said they observed Turbiak grab kids by the face and yell, force feed children who have a hard time eating food, and sometimes push students’ heads down on the floor when they’re in a timeout.

Earlier this year, 7 Action News spoke with one a parent who accused Turbiak of mistreatment. A police report said a social worker witnessed Turbiak jerk her son’s head back.

"My son has a very severe brain condition called hydrocephalus, he has a device surgically implanted in his brain. Anything related to his head is life threatening," said Lauren Gohl. 

And staffers said Turbiak’s language was threatening, too. Once she was interviewed by school administrators about her behavior, she reportedly asked others teachers “who was the Rat,” and reminded them, “I don’t forget.”

She’s alleged to tried to intimidate other teachers, saying: “I made a man go to the psych hospital.”

And then there was this comment, reported to school administrators. “It’s a good thing I do nice things for the parents, that way they don’t hate me when I smack their kid around.” And after that, the report says she laughed.

Turbiak was never charged due to lack of evidence. Superintendent Randy Liepa told 7 Action News that Turbiak resigned voluntarily last month after saying she would appeal the school board's unanimous vote to remove her from the classroom. Liepa says they take school safety seriously.