LONG BEACH : Hearing for Educator Who Spanked Ex-Pupil
The founder of troubled Chrysalis School for girls faces a court hearing next week for spanking a former student at a birthday party.
Founder Julia Margaux has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery. Margaux said she spanked the girl because the child was being incorrigible at the Aug. 20 party, but contends the incident has been blown out of proportion. Margaux said the former student’s mother was still angry that her daughter had been expelled from Chrysallis months earlier because of behavior problems.
“If (another parent) had spanked (the girl), it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Margaux said.
After the August birthday party the girl’s mother filed a complaint with police, but the city prosecutor’s office originally declined to file charges, citing a lack of evidence. The mother recently asked prosecutors to reconsider and officials found the complaint merited court action, City Prosecutor John Vander Lans said.
The school, which opened 17 months ago, has suffered a number of setbacks recently. More than half of the students departed in the wake of rumors that Margaux was treating children harshly and that the school’s curriculum was deficient.
Margaux said the rumors are unfounded.
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