A Fall River Public Schools paraprofessional accused of assaulting a student at Carlton Viveiros Elementary School went on trial Monday. Three staff members were placed on leave, and the school filed a 51A report with the Department of Children and Families after learning of the allegations. Natasha Burgo, 25, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child under 14, assault and battery on a person with an intellectual disability, and two additional counts of assault and battery.
As WJAR reports, Burgo was scheduled to go on trial Monday for an incident at Viveiros Elementary earlier this year, and the station notes she is charged with assaulting a person with an intellectual disability.
The same report lays out the additional count against her: assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child under 14. Burgo worked as a paraprofessional at Carlton Viveiros Elementary School, according to WCVB, and the station's report notes she was placed on leave back in January.
What the Student Told Investigators
According to a police report obtained by NewsNation, the student said Burgo pinned him down on a mat and started kicking him. The report recounts the student's account.
Burgo was arraigned in Fall River District Court, according to the Fall River Reporter. She pled not guilty and was released on personal recognizance, per the Fall River Reporter.
Three Staffers Placed on Leave, DCF Notified
The Herald News reported that three staff members at Carlton Viveiros Elementary were placed on administrative leave amid the allegations, though only Burgo faced criminal charges. The Fall River Reporter's account adds that the school responded by placing relevant staff on administrative leave pending an investigation, notifying the Fall River Police Department, and filing a 51A report with the Department of Children and Families — the standard mechanism for flagging suspected child abuse or neglect to the state.
The police investigation remained open and ongoing.
The Charges Under Massachusetts Law
The dangerous-weapon charge against Burgo falls under a Massachusetts statute, Chapter 265, Section 15A, which describes a person 18 or older who, by means of a dangerous weapon, commits an assault and battery upon a child under 14.
Burgo was scheduled to go to trial Monday, after her January arraignment. No information about the trial's outcome, a verdict, or any sentence was available at the time of this report.
