A teacher at an Orange City preschool stands accused of child abuse following an incident involving a 3-year-old student, according to local law enforcement. The teacher, identified as Zayda Bayala, was taken into custody today after allegations surfaced of her aggressive behavior towards the young child, which was captured on classroom video surveillance. WFTV reported that the mother contacted the police when her daughter began to exhibit distress over returning to school and referred to Bayala as 'mean.'
The incident, which occurred at Emmaus Lutheran Preschool, was initially brought to light on June 27 when the young girl communicated to her mother about the teacher's conduct, the mother, grappling with the weight of her child's words and the latent fear brushing upon her maternal intuition becoming increasingly concerned which prompted a response that culminated in the school director, Diana Austin-Seijas reviewing footage that corroborated the claims. The police viewed the footage showing Bayala first grabbing the child's arm and later, in a separate action, pulling her hair to the point where the child fell to the ground, as described by WESH.
Following the investigation of the incident, the Orange City Police Department obtained a warrant for Bayala on a charge of child abuse without causing great bodily harm, WFTV included in their report. Bayala was dismissed from her role at the preschool and is currently being held at the Volusia County jail. The Department of Children and Families has been notified, and the police affirmed that the inquiry into the incident is still active.
