Two mental health counsellors have been arrested after allegedly using excessive force on a child at a school in Ontario’s Niagara Region.
Police say they began investigating last month after an alleged assault at the Mountainview Centre for Innovative Learning in Welland.
They say the school has a teacher and a mental health counsellor in each classroom to provide specialized programs for children with various mental health and learning challenges.
Police say mental health counsellors were alleged to have used restraint techniques that were outside their scope of training, and following an investigation, determined that the actions taken by the counsellors amounted to excessive use of force and assault.
Madison Porkolab, 22, from Grimsby, Ont., and 26-year-old Natasha Bennett from Welland have each been charged with one count of assault.
Police say they believe there may be more victims and are asking them to come forward.
The organization that runs the school said in a Facebook post on Friday that it was working with Niagara regional police as part of the investigation.
“Pathstone Mental Health is committed to the health and well-being of the children, youth and families that we serve in our community,” it said.