Inset: Bryan Schewitz (Flagler County Sheriff's Office). Background: Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida (Google Maps).
A 60-year-old substitute teacher in Florida is accused of kicking a student with disabilities and telling a colleague he did it because the child kicked him first, allegedly declaring the two were "square" as a result.
Bryan Schewitz was arrested and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm following the incident at Matanzas High School, authorities announced.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the assistant principal told a school resource deputy on Oct. 16 that Schewitz was accused of kicking the student.
A witness told investigators she saw Schewitz "forcefully" move the student into a chair because he was having a "behavioral episode." Schewitz then forced the boy's hands onto a table and told him, "The gloves are off," the affidavit states.
The witness said she believed Schewitz was typically "too rough with kids," which made her uncomfortable, and that he had been "way too rough with the student" that day. She further noted that she had previously reported Schewitz's conduct to the assistant principal.
A school paraprofessional told investigators that he witnessed Schewitz kick the student and said the kick left a "large mark" on the boy's leg. When he asked Schewitz how the student got the mark on his leg, Schewitz allegedly replied, "He kicked me and I kicked him. So now we're square."
When the assistant principal asked the student what had happened to his leg, he allegedly replied, "Bryan kicked."
Investigators photographed marks on the front of the student's left leg, the affidavit says. The student's mother later contacted deputies and reported that there was "skin missing" from her son's leg where he was allegedly kicked. The sheriff's office provided her with a link to upload photographs of the injury.
In an interview after being read his Miranda rights, Schewitz allegedly said the student had arrived late, would not sit down or do the classwork, and then kicked him in the leg. Schewitz said he stuck out his foot to block the student and "kicked him by accident."
Schewitz also acknowledged using force to get the student into a chair. He said he placed the student's hands on the table and held them there while sternly telling him that "the gloves were coming off." Schewitz said he meant that things were getting serious and wanted the student to start working.
When investigators asked whether he had told a colleague that the student kicked him and he kicked the student back so they were even, Schewitz initially denied making the remark. The affidavit says he later said he wasn't sure whether he had made the remark but maintained the kick was accidental.
The school district's lead behavior specialist told investigators Schewitz "did not have proper training" from the district to use the redirection techniques he described. Schewitz also acknowledged he was not certified in the county to apply "proper redirection techniques," according to the affidavit.
"When adults are trusted to be working with children, especially those who require extra care because of disabilities, they are expected to be the levelheaded ones in any situation and not lose control of their temper," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. "It is never okay for a faculty member to strike a student, especially out of anger or frustration."
Schewitz was booked into the Flagler County Jail and released after posting bond of $2,500. He is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on Nov. 17, records show.
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