Elaine Edwards, former exceptional student education (ESE) bus aide at Bay District Schools, was arrested Monday after a police investigation concluded Edwards had forcibly grabbed the girl, leaving her with bruises “consistent with alleged abuse,” a Panama City Police Department news release states.
Edwards, 57, of Lynn Haven, has been booked at Bay County Jail. Since 2009, Edwards had worked at the district as a substitute bus aide, teacher and food service worker.
Edwards was terminated May 27, five days after the incident had taken place. There were no other complaints against her in her Bay District Schools personnel file.
“Mishandling children is totally unacceptable and we work closely in training with our paraprofessionals and bus drivers on how to deal with children,” Superintendent Bill Husfelt said Monday. “And we’re not going to tolerate that.”
Generally, bus staff treat children appropriately, Husfelt said, and are “no where near” Edwards’ behavior.
“It’s an isolated case,” he said.
According to the police report, the school bus video “doesn’t show the child doing anything wrong to be made to move in the first place,” Department of Children and Families Heather Ehle stated in the police report after viewing the video.
The child “sustained bruising to her upper left arm,” the report states.
The girl’s mother took her to the hospital after the incident and filed a police complaint.