An employee at a Clay County elementary school was arrested Wednesday after allegedly kicking a special education student.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, 47-year-old Pearl Gyamera, was reported by the principal of W.E. Cherry Elementary School for an incident on August 26.
CCSO said Gyamera was employed by the Clay County School District as an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Behavioral Assistant, tasked with calming the young boy down during outbursts.
At around 9:45 am Tuesday, CCSO said she was with the boy while he attended speech therapy. The boy was kicking his legs, and when Gyamera intervened, he kicked her too. CCSO said Gyamera then kicked him back three times, “asking how it felt and if it hurt him.” CCSO said the boy was uninjured.
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After interviews with witnesses, Gyamera was arrested for Child Abuse Without Great Harm.
Gyamera was placed on administrative leave following the arrest, CCSO said, after working for the district since August 2016.
The suspect had no criminal history or disciplinary history with the district.
She has since been released from jail.
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