WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Department of Children and Families (DCF), along with the School District of Palm Beach County, is investigating after an employee was accused of taping a student’s mouth shut at Boca Raton Community Middle School, according to emails WPTV obtained.
WATCH: School employee had previous complaint in 2023
According to personnel records, the district previously investigated the same employee in September 2023 after she was accused of pulling a student’s hair and shoving the student into a desk in a different incident at a different school, Olympic Heights Community High School.
The employee received a written reprimand after the district “substantiated” those allegations after an investigation involving interviews with several paraprofessionals, who observed the incident.
“[THE EMPLOYEE] did grab the student by the arm causing pushing [THE STUDENT] into the chair and table,” the district wrote in their synopsis of findings. “[THE EMPLOYEE] also pulled the student’s hair causing [THE STUDENT’S] head to be pulled back. [THE EMPLOYEE] failed to have student seen by medical staff.”
Paige Alexandria, whose son Christopher has several conditions, including cerebral palsy and autism, said she was very upset after her son said one of the paraprofessionals in his classroom used tape to close his mouth. She said this happened to stop her son from singing songs in the classroom.
"I mean, I cried for days,” Alexandria told WPTV’s Ethan Stein. “I'm still not over it. It was so shocking, like, that I've done everything I can to get justice for him and accountability and raise awareness. But I’m not really getting anywhere.”
She also showed our news team the complaint she filed with the school, which promptly opened an investigation into the employee. According to the emails we reviewed, the school said DCF also opened an investigation into the employee.
Alexandria said she became frustrated after learning the employee was investigated for physically putting her hands on a different student at a different school in the same district in 2023.
“At first I was appalled, but then when I read it three more times, I was just sick to my stomach,” she said. “I feel like that the fact that she was allowed to stay in the education system was failing kids like mine.”
According to records WPTV reviewed in the teacher’s personnel file, the district said it learned the 2023 investigation did not meet all the elements of criminal child abuse after speaking with the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
However, the a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office said the school district did not refer a case to their office for consideration of charges, and it has no records related to this case.
WPTV isn’t naming the school employee being investigated because she hasn’t been charged with a crime. We did reach out to the employee, but didn’t hear back.
The school district didn’t directly answer our question about its motivation to keep the employee working with children after the prior investigation, saying it cannot comment of open investigations or individual personnel matters.
A spokesperson said it takes all allegations extremely seriously: “The School District of Palm Beach County holds all employees to the highest standards of professional conduct and takes all allegations involving student safety extremely seriously."
DCF didn’t respond by publication.
