SMYRNA, Del. (KYW Newsradio) — Three educators at a Delaware elementary school are facing criminal charges for allegedly physically abusing students with disabilities.
Marrisa Johnson, Makayla Lomax and Morgan Donahue all worked with disabled students at Smyrna Elementary School. Johnson was with the district since 2020 and Lomax since 2022, while Donahue was a substitute in 2023. All three are now charged with endangering the welfare of a child and have been released pending a hearing.
According to police, the trio regularly abused children in their classroom, called them names, and threw objects at them. Lomax, 31, is alleged to have struck a student in the face and sprayed them with a water bottle. Authorities say 26-year-old Johnson and 21-year-old Donahue fed hot sauce and Takis to a student with digestive issues in 2022.
The school district issued a statement saying that they reported the incidents to police in February and that the educators were no longer in the presence of students once the district learned of the incidents.
The district says “most” of the individuals involved no longer work with the district but is honoring “employee privacy rights with regard to separation of employment.” Officials say the incidents are being reported to the Department of Education.