ERIN WHEELER, a South Carolina special education teacher who was named Teacher of the Year at her charter school in 2025, has been arrested and charged after being accused of repeatedly punching a child.
Wheeler, 34, a teacher at Whitmore School in Columbia, was arrested last week and appeared in Lexington County court on a charge of unlawful child neglect. Authorities allege the incident occurred on Nov. 27, according to reports cited by KWQC.
Investigators said Wheeler, a special education teacher, repeatedly punched a child in the forehead and upper body. Police allege she chased the child into a bathroom and continued striking the victim as the child attempted to shield themselves from the blows.
Authorities said the assault caused bruising to the child’s arms. Police noted that the incident did not occur on school grounds. Officials have not disclosed the relationship between Wheeler and the child or the exact location where the alleged assault took place.
Charter school officials said they are aware of the allegations but emphasized that the incident did not involve any Whitmore School students. The school, which serves students in grades 9 through 12, said Wheeler has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Wheeler was named Whitmore School’s 2025 Teacher of the Year in March, with school officials praising her for embodying “the essence of an outstanding educator.”
In a statement at the time of the award, Executive Director Kim Dunbar said Wheeler’s innovative approaches to special education had transformed learning experiences for students and set a standard of excellence within the school.
Just weeks before the alleged incident, Wheeler was featured on the school’s social media platforms, where she spoke about how the charter school empowers students and changes lives.
Wheeler earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia College in 2014 and 2017 and began teaching at Whitmore School in 2015.
In previous remarks about her motivation for working in special education, Wheeler cited her older sister being born deaf and said seeing how her sister was treated in public influenced her career path. She previously said that exceptionalities do not make a person less intelligent or unworthy of respect.
As part of her release on a $2,500 bond, Wheeler was issued a no-contact order with the alleged child victim. The case remains pending in court.
