A Florida substitute teacher allegedly kicked a student with disabilities in the leg and later told a witness he had done it to “even the score,” authorities said.
Bryan Schewitz, 60, was arrested Friday following the reported incident at Matanzas High School in Flagler County, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
When a witness asked about a large mark on the student’s leg, Schewitz allegedly replied, “He kicked me and I kicked him. So now we’re square,” investigators said.
Schewitz, a Flagler Beach resident, was charged with child abuse without great bodily harm.
Investigators said the incident began Friday as the student, whose disability has not been identified, experienced behavioral difficulties in class.
A witness told authorities that Schewitz used excessive force while trying to place the student in a chair. The substitute then allegedly directed the child to put his hands on a table and warned, “The gloves are off.”
The witness said Schewitz’s handling of the student made her feel uncomfortable.
Another witness reported seeing Schewitz kick the child and later noticed a large mark on the student’s leg.
The student’s mother later told deputies that skin had been torn from her child’s leg. She also provided photographs of the injury, according to WKMG, which cited the arrest report.
School officials questioned the student, who confirmed that Schewitz had kicked him, authorities said.
Schewitz offered deputies a different version of events, maintaining that any contact had been accidental.
He said the student had arrived late, refused to take a seat and began kicking in his direction before striking Schewitz’s leg.
Schewitz told investigators that he extended his own foot and unintentionally kicked the student.
He also claimed the student had been walking around the classroom and trying to poke other students with a pencil. Schewitz said he guided the child by the shoulder toward an empty chair.
The substitute acknowledged placing the student’s hands on a table and issuing a stern warning that “the gloves were coming off,” investigators said.
Asked about the alleged comment that he and the student were now square, Schewitz first denied making it. He later said he was unsure whether he had used those words.
Despite that uncertainty, Schewitz continued to insist that the kick had been accidental, authorities said.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly criticized the alleged conduct, saying adults responsible for children — especially students with disabilities — are expected to remain calm and exercise sound judgment.
Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore also said protecting students remains the district’s top priority.
“This kind of behavior will not be tolerated on our campuses,” Moore said.
Schewitz was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and released Saturday on $2,500 bond, according to the sheriff’s office.
It was not immediately clear whether Schewitz had been suspended, fired or removed from the school district’s substitute teaching roster.