Background: The WISE Center in DeFuniak Springs, Fla. (Google Maps). Inset: Tonya Gainey (Walton County Sheriff’s Office).
An educator from Florida was taken into custody and accused of child abuse for reportedly discarding a student’s meal and leaving him in tears while other students enjoyed their lunches.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Tonya Gainey, 57, was caught on surveillance cameras on Dec. 10 having a physical altercation with a 3-year-old student whom they described as being “nonverbal.” Gainey was employed at the WISE Center and worked with the Exceptional Student Education program for students with disabilities.
During the incident in question, Gainey allegedly “slam[med] down the arm” of the little boy during the class lunch period. The video described by police then showed Gainey allegedly “throwing away the student’s food and ignoring him for the rest of the period.” Police said that the boy “can be visually seen crying and in pain.”
On Dec. 11, school administrators were told about the incident involving Gainey and notified the Department of Children and Families. They also notified Gainey that there would be an investigation into her alleged behavior toward the student and that she would be “reassigned” in order to prevent her from having any further contact with that student and others, police said.
This information was not well-received by Gainey. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said that upon learning about her reassignment, “Gainey was uncooperative and refused to leave campus, eventually leading her to be escorted and ultimately trespassed from school property by the School Resource Deputy.” During this meeting, Gainey submitted her immediate resignation over email.
A criminal investigation was launched into the complaint against Gainey with the cooperation of the school. The school informed the parents of Gainey’s former students by phone and a medical evaluation was conducted on the child who was the target of the alleged abuse. His condition was not made public.
On Dec. 13, a warrant was issued for Gainey’s arrest and she was charged with one misdemeanor count of trespassing and one felony count of child abuse. She was released on $5,000 bond and is currently awaiting trial. It is unclear if she has retained an attorney.
Law & Crime reached out to the WISE Center for a comment but did not receive an immediate response.
