Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland: Montgomery County paraeducator accused of kicking child with autism

Friday, August 22, 2025

Montgomery County paraeducator accused of kicking child with autism

A paraeducator in Montgomery County was charged with child abuse Monday after she was accused of kicking an elementary-school-aged child with autism in the chest because the boy drank some of her soda.

Meleni Hoffman, 32, faces felony abuse and misdemeanor assault charges in Rockville District Court, where she is scheduled for a hearing next month.

Hoffman, who has not been arrested, did not respond to messages left on a publicly listed phone number. As of Wednesday, a lawyer was not listed as representing her in court records.

Investigators say that on April 9, at Candlewood Elementary, Hoffman took out a snack “that interested the kids in the class,” causing them to gather around her. One child ran over and “took a sip of her soda,” police said...

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/08/21/montgomery-county-paraeducator-accused-of-kicking-child-with-autism/?share=wec8agytaelaskoumum2

1 comment:

AnonymousAugust 22, 2025 at 9:42 AM
No MCPS administrative action?
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Principles

Formed in 2002, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland seeks to achieve the goals of coherent, content-rich curriculum standards; high expectations combined with timely remediation and acceleration; a wider range of educational options for parents and children; greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.

E-mail: parentscoalitionmc AT outlook.com

What The Washington Post said about the Parents' Coalition

The coalition might be the best-known parent advocacy group in the region. Its members represent several constituencies, including parents of special education and gifted education students and fiscal watchdogs. The group's defining victory came this school year when the school system scaled back the fees charged to families for course materials.

Coalition leaders have drawn attention to the misuse of funds collected from students for activities, the broadcast of a commercial radio service on school buses and, with their "Weast Watch" blog, the travel habits of Weast and his lieutenants.

The Washington Post, June 4, 2009

Jerry Weast on the Parents' Coalition

"Along the way, you’ve had a challenging relationship with the Parents’ Coalition, the network of citizen activists who use the political process and other means to hold MCPS accountable.

The thing people accuse me of is listening, but not hearing. I hear, but I do not always agree. I am sorry that the world is faster than it was 10 years ago. I did not do that. [But] if we do not keep up, then our kids will be behind. We have to stop whining and get real."

Bethesda Magazine, March-April 2011