Ex-principal seen on camera knocking down Fresno special needs kid takes plea deal
An elementary school principal who was caught on camera knocking a Fresno student with special needs to the ground recently changed his plea to “no contest.”
Brian Vollhardt, who was a principal at Wolters Elementary, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge and, in exchange, the charge of child abuse was dismissed, his attorney, Roger Wilson, said Monday.
The 53-year-old was also ordered to enroll in a 52-week child abuse program. Vollhardt is set to be sentenced in July, and could potentially see six months in jail and at least a year of probation.
Vollhardt immediately regretted what he did and the same day called the child’s guardian to apologize, according to Wilson.
“He apologized from day one for this. He’s never tried to avoid responsibility,” Wilson said. “It just took a matter of the parties coming to an agreement that everybody could kind of walk away with.”
Vollhardt no longer works with children though he may return to adult education, Wilson said.
The violent shove was caught on the school’s surveillance video on June 7, 2022, inside the cafeteria and came to light in September of that year. He resigned from the job before the video became public.
The video has no audio but depicts a 10-year-old speaking to Vollhardt before the principal pushes the child hard enough to send him to the floor.
Vollhardt worked in Fresno Unified School District for about 14 years, and started as the principal at Wolters Elementary in 2020.
