Victoria Aronson, 36, was a worker at The Malvern School in Westtown Township and was assigned to take care of kids at the school under the age of two. But instead of caring for them, authorities said she violated the trust of the school, and most importantly of parents and the kids in her care. Police arrested her for physically abusing three children.
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"We are dealing with a pandemic in our nation regarding child abuse. This case, in particular, highlights the need for us to get training and education to all adults," said Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan.
Police say the alleged abuse happened in late September and investigators became aware of the child abuse complaints this month after emails were sent to the Child Abuse Unit. Aronson is accused of physical and verbal abuse.
According to court documents, she grabbed kids and slammed them to the ground and also onto a wooden table. She is also accused of slamming kids on the floor and cursing at them. Police say the victims were all under the age of two.
"This is one of many cases, sadly, that we are dealing with in Chester County. In fact, over the past two weeks we have had 86 child abuse allegations," said Ryan.
In one instance, an eyewitness told police Aronson held one of the victims in a headlock, causing the child's head to hit a door. Investigators say at least one child had to be treated by a doctor for a bruise and cut under their eye.
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In a statement, The Malvern School said in part, that the well-being of its students is a number one priority. The school said it was devastated to learn about the allegations and leaders have terminated the employee. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services was also alerted of the allegations and is cooperating with the investigation.
"The most important thing is to trust your gut. You know your child better than anyone else," said Ryan.
If you suspect child abuse call CHILDLINE: 800-932-0313
Chester County is also offering free training to prevent and identify child abuse: Stewards of Children sign-up link: https://sites.google.com/view/chestershci/home
The Chester County District Attorney's Office is now investigating.