Five staffers at a Barnegat middle school have been placed on leave after an incident involving a student.

The student’s mother tells News 12 that her daughter, who has special needs, was taped up and restrained.

“I thought I could trust them,” said Kasi Spinelli, of Lakewood.

Spinelli’s 8-year-old daughter is non-verbal and diagnosed with autism, ADHD and cognitive delays. She is on an individualized education plan and attended school at the Russell O. Brackman School as part of its “ACES” program.

Spinelli received a concerning phone call this week about a recent day at school.

“A resource officer from the school called me and said my daughter’s wrists were bound together by tape,” Spinelli said. “Another half hour went by, and the resource officer called me back and said it was also on her mouth.”

Spinelli says she was shown photos with tape also around her daughter’s ankles. She says her daughter was wearing different outfits, suggesting this happened more than once.

“I couldn’t stop staring - to the point where the detective had to turn them over,” Spinelli said.

The Barnegat School District has placed one teacher and four support staff members on leave. Spinelli says her daughter’s education plan has been suspended - she’s homebound and no longer receiving therapy. Spinelli says she has noticed a change.

“Instead of screaming, now she’s crying as she’s getting ready for bed and getting up in the morning,” Spinelli said. “Which isn’t typical.”

The family’s lawyer has submitted a petition for due process, aimed at restoring her therapy services. They are also planning a civil suit. Barnegat police investigated and found no crime was committed.

“Any mother of a child with special needs - especially one that can’t talk - I don’t think they should have to take their child to the ER to be examined for abuse,” Spinelli said.

In a statement, Barnegat Township School District said in part that it “does not condone the kind of behavior under investigation. We took immediate action to contact partner agencies to ensure we hold staff accountable and demonstrate the standards of conduct and expectations we have for anyone who is part of our school community. We take the health and safety of each child personally, and we take incidents that pose a risk to that priority extremely seriously.”