A paraeducator at Decatur High School in Federal Way is facing a misdemeanor assault charge.
A paraeducator at Decatur High School in Federal Way is facing a misdemeanor assault charge.
Police report he got into a physical altercation with a student before lunchtime in the hallway on Sept. 8, and part of what happened was caught on camera.
Federal Way Public Schools would not give specifics amid the police investigation, including the extent of the student's injuries, though an email sent from the principal to families notes the paraeducator is now on paid administrative leave.
The roles for paraeducators can include working with special needs students or providing classroom support for general education.
The video shows a fight before multiple people step in to break it up, and the staff member was escorted off campus.
"My kids have paras, so this kind of scared me a little bit, and I’m going to be looking into it myself to see who their educator is," said parent Darrina Rice, who has three teens at the school.
She told KOMO News her son caught cellphone video showing part of what happened.
"[The student] said a racial remark to him," Rice explained. The district has not confirmed what led to the altercation. "Being a teacher, you kind of have to let those words fly over your head and do something afterwards, but he took it in a different way."
The clip appears to show the paraeducator had the student pinned to the ground as multiple people screamed for him to let go before the two were eventually separated. The paraeducator was later escorted away, and police confirm he was arrested and released with a criminal citation and a court date.
"I hope he learns his lesson because I was told he was a great educator, so I hope it doesn’t happen again and the other teachers learn from that," Rice added.
A school resource officer conducted an investigation, and misdemeanor assault charges against the paraeducator were referred to the Federal Way Prosecutor’s Office, police confirmed.
"We take the safety and well-being of our students seriously, and when concerns arise, we respond with urgency, take immediate steps to address the situation, and follow the appropriate processes to ensure the matter is reviewed thoroughly and responsibly," a Federal Way school district spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. "Because both investigations are active, we cannot provide additional details at this time but wish to emphasize that we do not tolerate anything that is in violation of our professional code of conduct or our policies and procedures."
The spokesperson confirms the district launched an internal investigation and is cooperating with police for their investigation. KOMO News asked for information about the paraeducator, including how long he's been with the district, but they are not giving specifics as the investigations are ongoing.
