Director of North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton suspended over allegations of abuse, neglect at the school

From WBTV in N.C.:

MORGANTON, N.C. - State officials are launching an investigation into a series of allegations of abuse and neglect at the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton.

The probe will investigate several years of alleged misconduct according to a statement issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on Friday.

The Director of the school, Janet McDaniel, was suspended on July 16, according to a statement issued by DHHS.

The allegations were presented to DHHS officials by the advocacy group Disability Rights NC.

The state will be looking to see if any cases of abuse involving students were reported to the Department of Social Services and DHHS as required.

"The findings of Disability Rights NC are significant enough to warrant a full investigation into the actions of the school's top administrator and staff," said Health and Human Services Secretary Lanier Cansler. "Our zero tolerance policy is designed to ensure the protection of our children. Based on our early findings, some staff may not have acted in the best interests of our children. We take these reports seriously and we are acting on them."

During the investigation, Dr. Esther Brassell, will take over the duties of director at the school.