Inset: Stacy Vaughn Marcella (Hartford Police Department). Background: University of Hartford Magnet School where the incident allegedly took place (Google Maps).
In a troubling incident at a Connecticut preschool, a 61-year-old teacher has been accused of mishandling a young student under her care. Stacy Vaughn-Marcella allegedly dragged a child by his feet across the classroom floor and left him unattended in a hallway for several minutes. This incident, which took place at the University of Hartford Magnet School, has resulted in Vaughn-Marcella facing a felony charge for risking injury to a child, according to reports from the Hartford Courant.
The accusations stem from an event on December 1, which came to light after a woman who picked up the boy from school learned about the incident during the dismissal process. The woman, upon reviewing classroom footage, reportedly saw the child being dragged by his feet and subsequently left alone in a hallway. This prompted a police investigation that began the following day, highlighting concerns about the child’s safety and well-being.
The situation reportedly unfolded just before nap time, a period that usually demands calm and quiet in a classroom filled with 3- and 4-year-olds. The boy became distressed because he was not allowed to join a play station, leading to a series of disruptive actions. According to CT Insider, the child began throwing objects and climbed onto a bookshelf, pulling items from the wall in his frustration.
Witnesses described how the incident escalated when Vaughn-Marcella intervened. Accounts suggest that after the boy was assisted down from the bookshelf, the teacher allegedly dragged him by his feet while he lay on his back, moving him out of the classroom into a common area. There, he reportedly remained unsupervised for five to ten minutes before another faculty member intervened. Vaughn-Marcella is said to have closed the classroom door, leaving the child isolated.
After the boy was helped down, the situation escalated.
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.”
