A teacher's assistant at a Florida middle school has been arrested and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm after allegedly slapping a student. The teacher's assistant, Ute Galloway, reportedly was frustrated with the 14-year-old student that she slapped because he didn't follow instructions.
The incident was caught on surveillance cameras at Eustis Middle School. The footage appears to show the student drawing before being slapped by the teacher's assistant, local news station WESH reported.
The incident happened in a classroom on November 17, 2023. The students were playing a game and were supposed to draw parts of a turkey. Galloway told the students taking part in this drawing game that they should not look at the outline of the turkey while drawing.
Galloway allegedly "suddenly smacked [a student] across the face" when he looked at the outline while drawing, despite being told not to do so. Fox 35 Orlando reported that Galloway apologized to the student afterward. The news outlet also reported that the school said it would "handle the situation," but after Thanksgiving break, Galloway was still working at the middle school.
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"Galloway has been alternatively placed in a role with no interaction with students while we investigate. That is our standard protocol," Lake County Schools said in a statement.
Galloway has worked at Eustis Middle School since August 2022, according to Fox 35 Orlando.
