DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A paraprofessional at Seabreeze High School was arrested on Thursday after reports that he used violence against a student with Down Syndrome, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
In an arrest affidavit, police said they were called to the high school by the principal around 12:30 p.m. after the incident broke out in the school’s gymnasium.
Investigators said that the 17-year-old student had been having a “rough day” because the teen’s favorite teacher wasn’t at school.
“This was apparently a trigger for (the student), where [REDACTED] could not cope and handle the day’s events and was found to be running down multiple hallways of the school, requiring several school staff members to follow and track [REDACTED] throughout the day,” the affidavit reads.
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But at some point, a paraprofessional — identified as Dontel Wright, 50 — kicked the teen, who then ran and hid behind the gym bleachers, police added.
Wright is also accused of violently grabbing the teen out from under the bleachers and pulling the student’s hoodie back, causing the student’s head to “whip backward.”
Police said the teen never displayed aggression against Wright. In addition, the student didn’t suffer injuries as a result of the incident.
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Regardless, police said that the teen’s parents were notified and intend to press charges against Wright.
As such, Wright was arrested and now faces a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm.
Meanwhile, the school district announced that the employee was “immediately reassigned away from students” pending the outcome of an investigation.