A Florida teacher was arrested and charged with child cruelty after reportedly throwing out a student’s lunch and leaving him crying while his classmates ate.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Tonya Gainey, 57, was seen on security cameras on December 10 in a physical argument with a 3-year-old kid who was described as “nonverbal.” Gainey worked at the WISE Center, specifically with the Exceptional Student Education program for students with impairments.
During the event in issue, Gainey allegedly “slam[med] down the arm” of the little kid during class lunch. Police described the footage as showing Gainey reportedly “throwing away the student’s food and ignoring him for the rest of the period.” According to police, the youngster “can be visually seen crying and in pain.”
On December 11, school authorities learned about the incident involving Gainey and alerted the Department of Children and Families. They also informed Gainey that an inquiry would be conducted into her alleged actions toward the teenager and that she would be “reassigned” to prevent her from having any further interaction with that student or others, according to police.
Gainey did not take this knowledge well. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office stated that after learning of her reassignment, “Gainey was uncooperative and refused to leave campus, eventually leading her to be escorted and ultimately trespassed from school property by the School Resource Deputy.” During the meeting, Gainey offered her resignation via email.
With the school’s cooperation, a criminal inquiry into the complaint against Gainey was initiated. The school called the parents of Gainey’s former students and did a medical evaluation on the youngster who was allegedly abused. His condition has not been made public.
Gainey’s arrest warrant was issued on December 13, and she was charged with one misdemeanor count of trespassing and one felony offense of child abuse. She was released on a $5,000 bail and is now awaiting trial. It’s unknown whether she has hired an attorney.
Law & Crime contacted the WISE Center for comment, but did not receive an instant answer.
