Teacher heard laughing as she filmed autistic student with Down Syndrome being duct-taped to a chair learns fate

An Ohio teacher who was heard laughing as she recorded a colleague taping an autistic child with Down syndrome to a chair has learned her punishment.

Rachel Smith, 28, was found guilty of unlawful restraint and two counts of child endangerment following the March incident.

The judge agreed to the defense’s request to consolidate the charges and she was sentenced Wednesday to three years’ probation, 80 hours of community service and a ban from having any contact or working with people with developmental disabilities, reported WXIX.

Smith has tried to defend the sickening act she and colleague Allison Vestring committed as “fun” rather than punishment.

“I am deeply sorry for what happened on Friday, March 1. I don’t know why Ally thought it was a good idea to put tape on him and looking back, I regret not stopping what was going on and removing the tape. him immediately and without interfering,” Smith said at the sentencing.

She was placed on probation for three years for recording and laughing while her colleague captured a student in a chair

The family of the victim – 15-year-old Dustin Hodges – told the local news station they are relieved by her sentence.

“We’re just grateful for all the hard work that prosecutors have done. We are satisfied with the court’s decision on Rachel’s sentence. We are glad this is all over,” they said.

The ex-West Clermont High School teacher filmed the harrowing video showing the boy heard trying to scream for help as Vestring captured him and Smith laughing.

“Try to get up,” Smith taunts the boy as he sits helplessly tied to the chair.

“This isn’t funny,” he manages, prompting the teachers to giggle again and insist that it is.

In another video, the boy is seen trying to call another teacher with whom he is close for help.

“He’s not coming to help you,” Smith laughs as the teen screams again. “He’s not coming, you’re stuck,” she adds.

Court documents show the teen remained tied to the chair for up to five minutes.

Smith has tried to defend the sickening things she and colleague Allison Vestring got up to as “fun” rather than punishment

The family of the victim – 15-year-old Dustin Hodges (pictured with his father) – told the local news station they are relieved by her sentence

The boy’s parents – Mark and Angela Hodge – told the story WKRC that their son has limited physical and verbal skills and does not like to be limited.

“You hold his hands and it’s like putting a piece of tape over his mouth, that’s how he expresses himself, he’s constantly moving his hands,” Mark said.

‘He doesn’t like to be restrained in any way, whenever he is restrained he starts to panic.

“It was disgusting how they made fun of him for their own pleasure to get a kick out of it.”

The parents said Dustin enjoys going to school every day, but they now have trouble sending him because they don’t know how the teachers will treat him.

Vestring was convicted in June and given five years’ probation for unlawful deprivation of liberty.