School workers threw objects at special needs students and called them names, DE cops say
Three elementary school workers are accused of mistreating special needs students in Delaware, police said.
A months-long investigation revealed that employees working in a special needs classroom allegedly threw objects at the students, yelled at them and called them names, the Smyrna Police Department said in a Nov. 6 news release.
One student was hit in the face and sprayed with a water bottle as a form of punishment, police said.
“During our investigation, we also uncovered another alleged incident outside of the affected classroom that occurred in the Fall of 2022 and involved two of the employees feeding hot sauce and hot Takis to a special needs student who had a known digestive disability,” police said.
Now, three workers have been arrested, police said.
Makayla Lomax, 31, is charged with child abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and offensive touching in connection with “the conditions of the affected classroom, as stated, in addition to striking and spraying a child in the face with a water bottle,” police said.
Marrisa Johnson, 26, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the “conditions of the affected classroom” and with feeding the student Takis, police said.
Morgan Donahue, 21, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child in connection with feeding the student Takis and hot sauce.
The women are being held on bonds ranging from $500 to $12,500 with no contact orders, records show.
The Smyrna School District said in a Feb. 21 statement that it originally received a report of “possible professional misconduct” on Feb. 16.
“Our commitment to the Smyrna School District Community is to ensure a safe and secure learning environment,” Susan Brown, the district’s superintendent, said in the statement. “The thought that we may have failed to live up to this responsibility deeply troubles me.”
District officials said in a Nov. 6 statement the women had not been around students since the original report in February and most are no longer employed with the district.
“We appreciate the diligence and thoroughness of law enforcement in bringing closure to this troubling matter,” the school district said.
According to a 2018 bulletin from the Child Welfare Information Gateway, children with disabilities are three times more likely to be abused or neglected and are more likely to be seriously harmed by maltreatment than children without disabilities.
“Although many communities have initiatives to prevent the maltreatment of all children, further efforts are necessary to provide additional protections and awareness regarding the maltreatment of children with disabilities,” researchers said.
Smyrna is about a 40-mile drive south of Wilmington.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 1:09 PM with the headline "School workers threw objects at special needs students and called them names, DE cops say."
