Florida substitute teacher defends allegedly kicking special needs student: ‘He kicked me, and I kicked him. So now we’re square’

A Florida substitute teacher is facing a child abuse charge after allegedly kicking a student with disabilities in the leg and telling a witness he did it to even the score. Bryan Schewitz, 60, was arrested following the incident at Matanzas High School in Flagler County, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

The officers spoke to two witnesses. “He kicked me, and I kicked him. So now we’re square,” Schewitz allegedly told a witness who questioned him about a large mark on the student’s leg. The Flagler Beach resident was charged with child abuse without great bodily harm.

According to investigators, the incident began when the student seemingly experienced behavioral difficulties during class. One witness alleged that Schewitz used excessive force to get the child into a chair before making him place his hands on a table and warning that “the gloves are off.”

It was accidental

Another witness told investigators that they saw Schewitz reportedly kick the student and later noticed a large mark on the child’s leg. The student’s mother subsequently contacted deputies, claiming that skin was missing from her child’s leg and providing photographs of the injury, according to WKMG. School officials also questioned the student, who confirmed that Schewitz had allegedly kicked him.

Schewitz offered a different account of what happened. He reportedly told the deputies that the student had arrived late, refused to sit down, and began kicking toward him, eventually striking his leg. The substitute claimed he extended his own foot in response but kicked the child accidentally.

He also alleged that the student had been moving around the classroom and attempting to poke other students with a pencil. Schewitz said he tried to guide the child into an empty chair by the shoulder. He acknowledged putting the student’s hands on a table and sternly warning that “the gloves were coming off,” according to investigators.

When questioned about the alleged remark that he and the student were now “square,” Schewitz initially denied making the statement but was later unsure of whether he had said it. But he continued to claim that the kick was an accident.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly condemned the alleged conduct. Following the arrest of the substitute teacher, he said, “When adults are trusted to be working with children, especially those who require extra care because of disabilities, they are expected to be the levelheaded ones in any situation and not lose control of their temper. It is never okay for a faculty member to strike a student, especially out of anger or frustration.”

Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore also stressed that student safety was the district’s priority, referring to the disturbing classroom behaviour. “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 on a $2,500 bond.