Woman Accused of Purposely Coughing on Baby Teaches Special Ed in San Jose Schools

A woman wanted by police for deliberately coughing on a baby’s face has been identified by a variety of unofficial sources as Nancy Nordland, who teaches special education at Oak Grove School District in San Jose.

In a statement to published Wednesday, district Superintendent Jose Manzo confirmed knowledge of the allegations against “one of our employees,” who was caught on surveillance footage lowering her mask to commit the act at a South San Jose Yogurtland.

“We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any child’s safety,” Manzo declared in his public response. “The employee is currently off of work and not providing any services to our district students.”

Nancy Nordland. (Photo via LinkedIn)

Oak Grove stopped short of naming the woman. As did the San Jose Police Department, which issued a bulletin earlier this week asking the public to help find her. But her identity was confirmed by some of her colleagues and parents at Oak Grove and has since been reported by the Mercury News, a host of TV stations and national media.

SJPD spokesman Sgt. Enrique Garcia told San Jose Inside that detectives have been following up on leads but have yet to arrest anyone.

The coughing incident—called an assault by SJPD—took place at around 5:30pm June 19 at the 5638 Cottle Road fro-yo shop. On Monday, police sent out stills from the store’s security camera and footage that captured the encounter in a plea for public help.

SJPD alleged that the woman coughed on the child because she was upset that the mother was not “maintaining proper social distancing,” as required by public health officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In an ABC7 interview a couple days after the incident, the mother, Mireya Mora, said she believed the assault on her baby boy was racially motivated.

“Me and my grandma are Hispanic and she started telling me about my distance and harassing me and my son once I started speaking Spanish to my grandma,” Mora told ABC7 in a segment that aired Monday.

A Change.org petition demanding that the district #FireNancy and strip her of teaching credentials has garnered more than 1,600 signatures to date. “After the events that occurred, it is evident that Nancy should not be working with kids,” the petition states. “She willingly risked the life of a child out of hatred and racism. Someone willing to endangered a child due to racism should not be allowed near other children.”

One of the petition signatories, someone who posted under the name Sabrina Bocanegra, slammed the district for not having ousted Nordland already.

“This lady was my son’s resource teacher for special education in 2018 and she put hands on my son leaving marks on him,” she wrote. “(Not to mention all the other things we went through with this teacher!!!) I took pictures and processed actions against her. I wanted to lay hands and pray later but, I thought taking the proper protocol and paperwork that my son would see justice?!?! I was told that she was ‘NO LONGER WITH THE DISTRICT!!’ Now, I see that is NOT the case!! I definitely need prayer through this one!! My heart is heavy and I can only pray that God deals with her!!!”

Attempts to reach Nordland for comment have been unsuccessful.

The Oak Grove superintendent said the district is cooperating with police and can provide no additional comment for the time being.

SJPD urges anyone with information about the alleged assault to call Det. Dan Bowman at 408.277.4161 or Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408.947.7867.

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

38 Comments

  1. Two words for Dan Pulcrano:

    “Nick Sandman”

    https://reason.com/2020/01/07/covington-catholic-cnn-lawsuit-nick-sandmann/

    “CNN Settles Lawsuit With Covington Catholic Student Nick Sandmann”

    – – – – –

    https://nypost.com/2019/01/21/case-of-the-covington-kids-is-a-perfect-example-of-media-bias/

    “Case of the Covington kids is a perfect example of media bias”

    – – – – – –

    “In an ABC7 interview a couple days after the incident, the mother, Mireya Mora, said she believed the assault on her baby boy was racially motivated.”

    Based on what?

    – – – – – –

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-richard-jewell-sandmann-media-kass-20200117-ijsdhu265falfm53ty534lud3e-story.html

    “Column: L. Lin Wood, libel attorney for Nicholas Sandmann and Richard Jewell, gives out a warning to the media”

    – – – – – –

    Dan Pulcrano: meet L. Lin Wood.

  2. Is this doxxing?

    Is this America anymore?

    Ms Wadsworth, you will not like the world you are creating. It is a dangerous, brutish place where the weak and poor suffer the most.

    • Publishing a name that’s been on TV and major dailies for the past day or two hardly rises to the level of “doxxing,” but OK.

      • > Publishing a name that’s been on TV and major dailies for the past day or two hardly rises to the level of “doxxing,” but OK.

        Oh goodie! There are other respondents for L. Lin Wood to name in his lawsuits.

        Hopefully, they have deeper pockets than Dan Pulcrano.

        Frankly, cleaning out Dan Pulcrano probably wouldn’t provide enough loot make it worth L. Lin Wood’s time.

        But . . . Sara Cody . . . Santa Clara County Health Department . .. .Gavin Newsom . . . a bogus “state of emergency” . . . we’re talking about some major cash resources.

      • I wish you luck in your utopia. By the time you see the damage you are doing, it will be too late. I guess that’s how it always goes…

  3. Every time I see this video I feel furious! I have worked with children extensively including those with developmental conditions. This are the most vulnerable of all children and the most abused. This woman malicious act is evident. Her statement of the family not following social distancing is non-sense. The video clearly shows how she has to take several steps to go where the baby is. It also shows she was already minding her own business when something took her attention. It was probably the family speaking Spanish. I live close to that are. I knew this woman was familiar to me. Karen Norland has no place working with children of any age!

    • > The video clearly shows how she has to take several steps to go where the baby is.

      The video doesn’t clearly show ANYTHING! It was edited, manipulated, and distorted. There is an actual electronic distortion pattern superimposed on baby mama’s face. It hides the fact that baby mama WASN’T wearing a mask and WASN’T social distancing in a SELF-SERVE food store.

      A lot of people are going to say that baby mama was asking for it.

      People who wear masks and follow the rules get REALLY REALLY pissed when other people ignore the rules AND THEN CALL THEM A RACIST. I’ve seen more than a few tense, ugly, shouting scenes over masks.

      That’s why when this thing goes to court, L. Lin Wood is going to tear a lot of people new a$$holes. And he is going to have a lot of people rooting for him.

      • You must be blind or stupid or both. She clearly walks to where the baby is located. If it is too hard for you, I can count the steps! Let me know bubble!

        • Baby mama — WITHOUT MASK — and baby — WITHOUT MASK — are right next to the SELF SERVE yogurt machines.

          Aren’t Sara Cody’s goons supposed to use their truncheons on scofflaws who VIOLATE HER ORDERS! Where were they?

          Why do we have to rely on public spirited citizens like Nancy Norden to uphold the rule of law. Even if “the law is an ass”?

          Nancy was just insisting on respect for Gavin Newsoms “MASKS EVERYWHERE” order. Are you AGAINST respect for Gavin Newsom’s orders?

      • It doesn’t matter if she was to close. All the teacher had to do was ask her to step back some. Doesn’t give her the right to assault someone. She needs to pay the price for being so dumb a n d stupid. I live in Canada (thank heavens) and we would never put up with such dumbbells. They would be in jail. I hope she gets what she deserves. Good reporter this lady who wrote the story.

        • I think the US has more than enough people in prison, I don’t think I have ever heard anyone accuse us of not having enough. Didn’t we just release 3500 inmates as an attempt to limit spread? Seems like you may have a hair trigger on your judgement over ride.

      • No matter what the mother did or didn’t do, the baby wasn’t responsible for it. Why didn’t she cough in the mother’s face?

  4. > A Change.org petition demanding that the district #FireNancy and strip her of teaching credentials has garnered more than 1,600 signatures to date.

    1,600 people is a mob, isn’t it.

    The reputation of Silicon Valley is already bad enough. Now all we need is a reputation for mob justice.

  5. > A woman wanted by police for deliberately coughing on a baby’s face has been identified as Nancy Norland, an Oak Grove School District special education teacher.

    She’s a teacher.

    So, where the hell is the WORTHLESS teacher’s union? Aren’t they suppose to be advocates for their members?

    Has the teachers union said anything? Are they going to do anything?

    Or, are they just going to look at their shoelaces, pretend like nothing happened, and let Nancy Norland twist in the wind?

    • The union only has the responsibility to protect and defend it’s members in work related incidents. This happened outside of that purview.

  6. > Oak Grove stopped short of naming the woman. As did the San Jose Police Department, which issued a bulletin earlier this week asking the public to help find her.

    Wise move.

    However, whoever DID name Nancy Norland has exposed her to hate and potential mob violence and should be held accountable for violation of her privacy.

    San Jose Inside should name it’s sources.

    • She exposed herself when she coughed on a defenseless baby you Neanderthal. Oh no now she has to endure ppl being very cruel and threatening messages she made her bed now she can lay on it. Oh that poor Boomer?

      • You understand all video and digital imagery can be altered? You understand that you are filling in details in your mind and it can not distinguish them from facts, right?

        Do you understand the idea of presumption of innocence and why it’s important?

        Did you take a civics class in High School?

        You studied the constitution in that class, right?

        In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

        You understand that mob justice is how this whole thing collapses on itself, right?

        Or maybe that is what you want?

  7. Jennifer,
    Thanks for updating us. Now I will sign the petition to have Her removed from poor unsuspecting special education kids. She must be prevented from ever being able to abuse those that can’t fight back for themselves. Her MO is clearly that of person of privilege, assaulting the defenseless children of color and those that may be intellectually unable to understand that they are being abused. Oak Grove School District Board Needs to convene to end her contract and see to it that she never has a position of trust at any school anywhere.

    • > Her MO is clearly that of person of privilege, assaulting the defenseless children of color and those that may be intellectually unable to understand that they are being abused.

      Judge Roy Bean, the law west of the Pecos.

      “Bring in the guilty party. We’ll give ’em a fair trial, then hang ’em.”

  8. > I thought SV earned that bonafide with the Persky Recall.

    It is astonishing how little appreciation the progressive mob has for the Bill of Rights and “due process”.

    They whine and wail incessantly about “minority rights” without any idea that “minority rights” are a feature of CONSTITUTIONAL government.

    I suspect that most progressives imagine themselves to be believers in “democracy” without really understanding that “democracy” is really the rule of the “majority” and that “minorities” don’t have rights under a “pure democracy”.

    H. L. Mencken wrote that: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

    If America is 64% “white” and were really a “democracy”, Black Lives Matter WOULDN’T matter.

    Imagine if America got THAT form of democracy “good and hard”.

    • It is a combination of dumbing down education to increase self-esteem and rationalizing circumventing the constitution through the logic of Critical Race Theory. The problem is they are so sure of themselves they can’t see what they are doing and what their ignorance will create. Rule of law, property rights, freedom of speech all protect us from things like cultural revolutions, holodomors, reigns of terror, and Lynch mobs. The death and destruction that result from these romantic movements mostly hurt poor people.

      • It is a combination of racist people of all groups not being given a pass for their racist and discriminatory behavior and WE THE PEOPLE BEING SICK AND TIRED of non-discriminatory laws not being enforced. WE THE PEOPLE WILL MAKE SURE THEY ARE ENFORCED; whatever it takes!

        • You prove my point.

          Sharpen up the guillotines, clear St James Park.

          Start with the whitest ones first, then we make our up the scale.

          • Are you implying that the Whites are the most racist. ? I believe there are racists in all ethnic groups. But, those are your words sweetheart not mine.

    • Give your non-sense preaching to sexually perverted Trump! He is clearly a sociopath, sexually perverted, racist…This is the fallacy of the extremist conservatives those that even other republicans can’t stand. They believe being Christians, but support a guy that has more evil than the fallen angel! Then Trump wants to make you believe he is a man of God by taking a picture with the Bible!

  9. Force her to be tested. If she tests positive, arrest her and charge her with attempted murder and assault on a minor. That should take of her job and presence around children.

  10. Any update on the status of Nancy Nordland? I can’t find any news beyond June 25, when she was first identified. According to one parent online, Nordland mishandled this woman’s child in the classroom. When the parent filed a complaint, she was told Nordland was no longer working for the district — and yet here she is! So the district apparently lied to the parent to protect Nordland, probably just moved her to another school & classroom. This woman needs to go.

    • A friend works in the administration office for a Bay Area school district, says that’s what they do because they’re all afraid of the teachers union and they’ve difficulty filling teacher positions. As a result a lot of inadequate teachers are hired, reach tenure and are protected by their union till retirement.

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