Special Ed Students Accused of Punching, Biting Teachers

State police have responded to several recent incidents at a Lehigh County special education school, with one involving a 14-year-old girl accused of punching and biting teachers and another involving a 19-year-old man who pleaded guilty to robbery-related charges in a separate case last week.

The incident involving the girl at the Lehigh Learning & Achievement School in Lowhill Township happened Friday, while the other two happened Tuesday, state police said.

One of Tuesday's incidents also involved a student—in this case an 11-year-old boy—accused of biting a teacher.

The second involved the 19-year-old connected to the guilty plea. In the school case, he is accused of throwing hot soup at a staffer's personal belongings.

But online court records show that he was charged the same day with purchasing alcoholic beverages by a minor in an incident that allegedly occurred the day after he pleaded guilty to the robbery-related charges.

State police gave the following information:

—In the first incident, at 1:16 p.m. Friday, the 14-year-old girl became disruptive in class and in a hallway. She got into a verbal argument with staffers who then tried to restrain her.

The girl then allegedly punched a teacher, bit another teacher, and spit on or at three other staff members, police said. She's also accused of verbally threatening the staffers.

Police identify the victims as a 41-year-old woman and two men, ages 40 and 32. All have Orefield addresses. The school also has an Orefield mailing address.

Charges against the girl were forwarded to Lehigh County juvenile probation officials.

—The first of Tuesday's incidents occurred at 9:10 a.m. when the 11-year-old male allegedly bit a teacher trying to restrain him. Charges were to be filed in Lehigh County Juvenile Court.

—The second of Tuesday's incidents occurred at noon when Dillon Kyle Milburn, 19, of Allentown allegedly threw hot soup on a staffer's personal belongings.

Police referred to the case as "criminal mischief" and says a non-traffic citation was filed with the office of District Judge Rod Beck of Slatington.

But the online records show a non-traffic citation was filed Tuesday—not for criminal mischief but for a charge of purchasing alcoholic beverages by a minor. The records say the alleged incident occurred last Wednesday, Jan. 8.

That was a day after Milburn pleaded guilty in Lehigh County Court to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery in an Aug. 21, 2013 Allentown case, the records say. Sentencing is set for Feb. 18 before Judge James Anthony. Milburn has been free on $15,000 bail, the records say.

The records also show he pleaded guilty in March 2013 to a retail theft charge out of Whitehall Township.

Lehigh Learning & Achievement School, at 2936 Corporate Court—just west of the intersection of Route 100 and Claussville Road—is part of the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit.