When parents send their children to school, they trust their kids will be safe and in good hands while learning. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Recently, police arrested three Delaware school workers after they allegedly fed a special needs student Takis chips with hot sauce.
Makayla Lomax, 31, Marrisa Johnson, 26, and Morgan Donahue, 21, are accused of abusing children with special needs. In early November, the school employees were arrested and charged with their alleged crimes. All three of them face serious charges as a result of an investigation that began in February.
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Lomax, Johnson, and Donahue face charges of endangering the welfare of a child, according to a news release from the Smyrna Police Department. Lomax faces nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child and offensive touching, Fox 8 News reported. Meanwhile, Johnson faces 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Donahue faces one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Allegedly, they fed a student with special needs Takis with hot sauce. According to the Smyrna Police Department’s news release, Johnson and Donahue fed Takis with hot sauce to a student with special needs. The incident happened in late 2022. Additionally, the school workers allegedly knew the child had a digestive disability.
They were accused of other specific forms of abuse, too. An investigation, which started in February, revealed disturbing behavior from Smyrna School District employees who worked with elementary students with special needs. Allegedly, employees would “throw objects at the students, yell at them, and call them names,” according to the news release. Lomax was also accused of hitting a student in the face and spraying them with a water bottle as a “form of discipline.”
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On November 6, the Smyrna School District released a statement following the arrests. “We have worked diligently with our law enforcement partners throughout the investigation,” the district noted. “The relevant employees have not been in the presence of our students since the district was made aware of the alleged wrongdoing.”
“Most individuals alleged to be involved no longer work for the District,” the statement continued. “With regard to the remaining employees, the District will honor employee privacy rights with regard to separation of employment, and we will make our reports to the Department of Education’s Division of Licensure and Certification.”
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
