Fada Concepcion, a 7th-grade science teacher at Tuskawilla Middle School in Seminole County, Florida, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse after a student said he was “dragged” from his desk, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
Concepcion has worked for Seminole County Public Schools for 29 years, the district said. She was arrested on Oct. 1.
According to the sheriff’s office, the student said he was “dragged” by his arm from his desk, out of the classroom and into the hallway. The alleged incident was captured on the school’s surveillance cameras.
Concepcion told deputies she had “no recollection” of dragging the student and maintained that she escorted him out of the classroom, according to the arrest report.
The school district said it is treating the allegations seriously. “We take all allegations involving our students’ safety and well-being seriously and will respond quickly. This teacher is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
We will continue to work closely with law enforcement and the Office of Professional Standards in accordance with district policies and procedures.” Concepcion appeared before a judge on Oct. 2, where her defense attorney pushed back against the severity of the charge.
“The student was misbehaving, and my client used the word ‘escorting’… the detective used the words ‘drag,'” her attorney stated during the hearing. “Basically, grabbed the child by the arm and took him out of the classroom – and there’s no indication in this probable cause affidavit that the student was injured in any way, no bruising on the arm, no other type of injury. Child abuse requires more than just touching a child.”
The judge agreed to a bond reduction, lowering her bail from $5,000 to $1,000. After the ruling, Concepcion flashed a double thumbs-up to her attorney before leaving the courtroom.
It is not clear what led to the interaction between the student and the teacher. FOX 35 has requested a copy of the surveillance video of the alleged incident. Concepcion is scheduled to return to court in November.