FROSTPROOF, Fla. — A Polk County Schools bus aid was arrested and charged with child abuse for "rough handling" a 7-year-old student, the sheriff's office said in a release.
Deputies said their investigation started on Feb. 17 after the child's mother filed a complaint against 70-year-old Christine Barnes after school hours.
According to the agency, the "rough handling" happened earlier that day on an Exceptional Student Education bus that was parked at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School in Frostproof.
The arrest affidavit said in part that Barnes "grabbed [the boy] by the front of his jacket near his throat, lifting him off the seat causing [the boy's] head to snap backward."
Barnes then reportedly "forcefully put [the boy] into an open seat on the other side of the aisle."
When Barnes was interviewed by detectives, the sheriff's office said she told them she had "lost her temper" with the boy and "felt her actions were harsh." The news release also stated Barnes told detectives she was feeling "overwhelmed."
“Fortunately, the little boy only received a small scratch on his cheek from this incident," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "If you’re a school bus aide, your job is to keep children safe on the bus. You’re also in a position of being a role model — losing your temper with a child is not setting a good example.”
Barnes was arrested Tuesday and charged with abusing a child without bodily harm.
“We are deeply upset and disappointed that one of our employees behaved in this manner," Polk County Schools Superintendent Fred Heid said in a statement. "Working on a school bus can be stressful, but it is never acceptable to handle a student this way. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and intend to terminate this employee.”
The school district added that Barnes previously worked for the district from 2001 to 2007 as a food service assistant. She then returned to Polk County Schools in October 2012 as a school bus aide. Barnes "had no prior incidents in her file" before her arrest, the district said.
This is the second arrest of a school employee in Polk County announced by the sheriff's office in as many days. On Tuesday, a 9th-grade teacher's assistant at a private Christian school in Poinciana was arrested and charged with a sex offense after being accused of inappropriately touching a student.
