A pre-kindergarten teacher in Florida was arrested after school surveillance footage captured her grabbing, dragging and shoving a young student into a fence on the playground.
The St. Cloud Police Department said that Kathryn Garcia was arrested by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, October 2, and charged with child abuse.
Garcia was arrested one day after the alleged incident took place on Thursday, October 1.
Authorities said that the incident began after the student grew upset when recess ended and he refused to move by sitting on the ground, according to the police report viewed by Click Orlando.
Surveillance footage documented the incident, which showed Garcia leaning down and grabbing the child’s left arm. She then aggressively pulled him up from the ground, but the child dropped back to the ground. Garcia escalated the situation by kicking his legs, grabbing him by the left arm and dragging him across the concrete.
The alleged assault continued when Garcia placed both hands around the child’s neck from behind and lifted him off the ground. She then placed her right hand under his chin, extended his left arm outward and shoved him into a chain-link fence.
Garcia then hit the child in the upper torso, according to the police report.
Two teachers witnessed the incident and reported it to school administration.
One of the witnesses told investigators that she saw Garcia jerk the child from the ground several times and drop him more than once. She added that Garcia then kicked the child across the ground before grabbing him by the neck with both hands and forcing him into a standing position. The witness then said she saw Garcia shove him into the fence.
A second witness stated that she saw Garcia pushing the student and grabbing his neck so that she could pick him up from the ground.
School administration and the Osceola County School Board were notified on the same day as the incident, and Garcia was immediately removed from the classroom.
Staff then reported the incident to the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the student’s parents were contacted about what happened.
The child was examined by the school nurse, who cleared him. Meanwhile, his mother filled out a written statement and signed an affidavit of prosecution.
Following her arrest, Garcia told investigators that she had struggled to lift the child up from the arms when he refused to stand up at the end of recess. She claimed she did not recall grabbing his neck and declined to provide a written statement.
Garcia has been charged with child abuse — simple assault or battery, a violation of Florida State Statute 827.03(2c).
It’s not currently clear whether Garcia has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The St. Cloud Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding updates in the case.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
