A Polk County school bus attendant was arrested Wednesday on charges of child abuse.
Clara McGriff, 52, is accused of physically assaulting a special needs student on a school bus last week. She was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on one count of negligent child abuse.
According to an arrest affidavit, McGriff is accused of hitting the child with an open hand and a water bottle on Dec. 3. Deputies said the student is a child with special needs who has been diagnosed with autism, ADD, ADHD and Explosive Behavior Disorder.
Deputies said the child was in a special school bus harness device, which is intended to limit his movement while on the bus, when McGriff hit him.
Detectives said a video of the incident shows the student tossing and throwing a seat belt on a seat next to him. McGriff is seen taking the seat belt from the student's hand, then hitting his arm with the seat belt, deputies said.
McGriff walked away but the student continued to play with the seat belt, and McGriff went back to the student and hit him with what appeared to be a plastic water bottle, deputies said.
Deputies said McGriff then stood over the student "in a threatening manner" and said, "I'm tired of you." The student threw a shoe over his shoulder, and McGriff retrieved the shoe and threw it back at him in an "aggressive manner," deputies said.
The student threw the shoe again, and McGriff retrieved the shoe, took off the student's other shoe and put them both in the student's book bag.
Deputies said the student spit on McGriff, which is when she grabbed the student's right arm and hit him eight or nine times with an open hand.
McGriff then used her body to press the student up against the bus wall and window for about 40 seconds, deputies said. McGriff then eased off him and exchanged words with the student, then pressed up against him again.
The bus stopped momentarily, and McGriff went to help a student off the bus. Deputies said she instructed another special needs student to keep the child pressed up against the wall. That student used his back to pin the victim against the bus wall, deputies said.
When McGriff returned, deputies said she resumed pinning the student for another 30 seconds.
McGriff, who has worked for the school district since 2006, was suspended without pay as a result of the allegations. McGriff earns an annual salary of $12,156 as a bus attendant, officials said.
Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy said she plans to recommended her termination at the school board's January meeting.
Officials said McGriff has one incident of prior discipline in her personnel file for failure to give proper notice to use sick leave and be absent from work.