A seventh-grade science teacher at Tuskawilla Middle School was arrested after investigators said she grabbed a student from his seat and dragged him by the arm at least 20 feet into an exterior hallway during a third-period class last Tuesday, Sept. 29. Fada Concepcion now faces a third-degree felony charge of child abuse without great bodily harm, and she told investigators she has no memory of dragging the student at all.
According to WFTV, the allegation first surfaced the next day, Sept. 30, when Assistant Principal Cynthia Woods received a written statement from a student describing what happened in the classroom. Woods then notified Principal Randy Shuler, state child protection officials and a school resource deputy, setting off a chain of internal reporting that school policy requires whenever a student's safety may be at risk.
Assistant Principal Ryan Garrett reviewed school video footage of the incident and, after seeing what it showed, alerted deputies himself. Investigators went on to interview 15 students who were marked present in the science class during that third period, building out a picture of the incident beyond a single student's account, WESH reports.
Teacher Says She Doesn't Remember the Drag
When questioned, Concepcion said she had no recollection of dragging the student into the hallway. She maintained instead that she had simply escorted him out of the classroom while he repeatedly slumped over, a markedly different account from what the video reportedly captured and what the student described to Woods.
The student's father told law enforcement he did not give permission for the teacher to touch his son and said he wanted to press charges, a request that, per the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, preceded Concepcion's arrest Thursday. She now faces a felony charge carrying consequences well beyond the classroom.
District Response and Oversight
Seminole County Public Schools confirmed Concepcion has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, and the district said it takes allegations involving student safety and well-being seriously. Officials added that they will continue to work closely with law enforcement and the district's Office of Professional Standards in accordance with existing district policies and procedures.
Oversight of Florida educators doesn't stop at the district line. The state's Florida Department of Education Office of Professional Practices Services separately investigates alleged misconduct by certificate-holding educators and can pursue disciplinary action against an educator's certification, though each district, charter and private school handles its own internal misconduct review process according to the department.
A Florida statute addressing when school personnel may use physical restraint states that such measures are meant to be used only after all positive behavior interventions and supports have been exhausted, according to an excerpt published by the Florida Senate. That excerpt does not fully spell out every exception under the law or address whether the conduct described in this case complied with it.
Not an Isolated Case Nationally
Cases alleging teachers physically dragging students have surfaced elsewhere in recent months. In Las Vegas, Clark County School District special-education teacher Marianna Wynn was arrested in August after she was accused of forcibly dragging a student with autism and Down syndrome by the back collar of his shirt multiple times, according to 8 News Now. That student was described as extremely limited in his ability to communicate. Wynn was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Aug. 21, later released on bail with a condition to stay out of trouble, and was placed on paid leave under a negotiated agreement with her bargaining unit while awaiting a Sept. 22 court date.
No outcome has yet been reported in the Seminole County case regarding the district's internal investigation, the Office of Professional Standards review, or any action against Concepcion's teaching certificate. For now, the felony charge against her stands as the only confirmed legal consequence tied to the Sept. 29 incident at Tuskawilla Middle School.
