Indiana teacher who forced a special needs student to eat his own vomit learns her fate

A disturbing case from Brownsburg, Indiana, has reached its conclusion. A judge has sentenced former Brown Elementary School teacher Sara Seymour to one year in prison after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent. Seymour will not serve additional jail time, as the judge suspended 363 days of her sentence and credited her for two days already served.

On February 16, 2023, during lunch at Brown Elementary, Seymour warned a 7-year-old special needs student that if he vomited, he would have to eat it. The child, who has cognitive disabilities, subsequently vomited on a tray provided by another teacher, Julie Taylor. 

Instructional aide Debra Kanipe then handed the child a spoon, and Seymour and Kanipe stood by as the boy ate a portion of his vomit while crying.

It all got caught on camera

Meet Sara Seymour.😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡 https://t.co/yxWopZDzru

— jody delwiche 🆘 (@adellarumpella) April 25, 2025

School surveillance cameras captured the incident, but it went unreported for nearly two months. School administrators became aware of the situation on April 12, 2023. Police investigated, and subsequent criminal charges were filed against five staff members.

Seymour faced charges of neglect of a dependent and failure to report. As part of a plea deal, she pleaded guilty to neglect. The failure to report charge was dropped. Judge Rhett Stuard sentenced Seymour to one year in prison, suspending all but two days, which she had already served.

Other staff members involved faced varying consequences. Police charged Debra Kanipe, 63, an instructional aide, with neglect of a dependent and failure to report. Her trial is scheduled for June 2025.

Meanwhile, Julie Taylor, 49, a life skills teacher, pleaded guilty to failure to report and received 90 days of probation. At the same time, Kristen Mitchell, 39, an instructional aide, pleaded guilty to failure to report and was fined $1 with no probation.

Finally, Meghan King, 25, a behavioral technician, pleaded guilty to failure to report and received 180 days of probation.​

All five staff members were either terminated or resigned following the incident. Seymour voluntarily surrendered her teaching license on June 7, 2023.

The incident has drawn widespread outrage from parents and community members. Many expressed disbelief that such an event could occur and go unreported for so long. The family of the victim has hired legal representation and is considering a lawsuit against the Brownsburg Community School Corporation