Inset from left to right: Tonya Rice-Constant and Juanita Wright (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office). Background: A woman alleged to be Juanita Wright touching a child on a Hillsborough County Public Schools bus (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office).
Two public school employees in Florida were arrested after one of them hit a child on a school bus and the other observed the abuse and laughed, authorities say.
Juanita Wright, 79, has been charged with 14 counts of child abuse and Tonya Rice-Constant, 62, has been charged with failure to report child abuse, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday.
"This case goes far beyond abuse," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "It reveals a level of cruelty that is deeply disturbing."
Deputies began a "child abuse investigation" after someone "reported observing a school bus aide striking a 10-year-old victim while on a Hillsborough County Public Schools bus parked at Caminiti Exceptional School," according to the sheriff's office.
The school says on its website that it "serves students across a wide range of exceptional needs, including autism spectrum disorders, emotional disabilities," and more.
The 10-year-old boy in this case had been diagnosed with autism and ADHD and was "minimally verbal," the law enforcement agency added.
Four days later, detectives reviewed video footage from inside the bus allegedly showing Wright "repeatedly abusing the child."
Wright was the bus monitor, while Rice-Constant, the driver, can be seen "laughing during the abuse," authorities said.
The jarring video shows a woman alleged to be Wright hitting the boy on top of his head and on the back of his head as he sits, pulling him by his hair, and wrestling a backpack away from him. Rice-Constant appears to be looking in her rearview mirror in delight, smiling, and chuckling.
On Dec. 23, investigators found additional video footage and "identified thirteen additional days between October 2, 2025, and November 14, 2025, in which Wright was observed abusing the child." The sheriff's office noted on Friday that the investigation was active.
"A defenseless child was physically abused by someone entrusted with their care, while another adult failed to intervene and instead laughed," Chronister added in his statement. "It is an inexcusable betrayal of trust and a profound lack of humanity when adults who are supposed to protect a child not only inflict harm, but also allow it to happen. In Hillsborough County, this kind of conduct will be met with the full force of the law."
Wright reportedly defended herself, saying she was being "jokeful" and "playful" with the 10-year-old boy, Tampa-based NBC affiliate WFLA reported.
The Hillsborough County School District said in a statement that they are "deeply disturbed by the actions that led to the arrest of a bus attendant and driver for the abuse of a child while in their care," adding that the bus aide was hired in 2012 and "removed from duty" in November "as we were made aware of the allegations" and then fired.
"The driver retired from the district in November when the investigation began," the school district added in the statement shared by the local outlet. "The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We train our transportation team members on safety, student care, and their responsibility to report concerns immediately. When anyone violates that trust, we take swift action and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement as this matter moves forward."