SMYRNA, Del. (Gray News) – Three employees at a Delaware elementary school are facing charges after police say they neglected and abused children with special needs in the classroom.
This is reported by the Smyrna policeThe investigation began in February and ended with the arrest of three women this week.
Police said Smyrna School District employees engaged in a “pattern of disturbing behavior at a special education elementary school.” This included throwing objects at the students, yelling at them and cursing at them, police said.
One of the suspects, 31-year-old Makayla Lomax, is also accused of hitting a student in the face and spraying the student with a water bottle as a form of discipline.
Police said the other two suspects, 26-year-old Marissa Johnson and 21-year-old Morgan Donahue, once fed hot sauce and hot Takis – the spicy tortilla chip snack – to a special needs student who had a known digestive disorder.
All three women are charged with various counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Lomax is also charged with third-degree child abuse for allegedly hitting the student and spraying him with water.
The Smyrna School District said in a statement Wednesday that the three women “have not been in the presence of our students since the district was made aware of the alleged misconduct” and reported the allegations to the Department of Family Services and Law Enforcement.
“Student safety is of the utmost importance to the Smyrna School District,” the district wrote. “We will continue to evaluate and improve all aspects of school safety. We will continue to support our school community during these difficult times.”
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