Dover paraprofessional charged with 3rd-degree child abuse against disabled fifth grader
A former paraprofessional at William Henry Middle School in Dover has been charged with felony child abuse in an incident that occurred in October.
William Henry Middle School, at 65 Carver Road, serves all Capital School District fifth graders.
An investigation began Oct. 19, 2023, when it was reported to the school resource officer that 55-year-old Richard Powell had injured an 11-year-old student, a Dover Police Department news release said.
Capital School District, the Delaware Department of Justice and the Dover Police Department have been working together to investigate the case since then and obtained a warrant Monday, the news release said.
After arguing with other staff members about his lunch break, according to court documents, Powell became "angry and confrontational with other staff members and recklessly took his anger out on (the student)" by "aggressively" removing them from their walker and "slamming" them into their wheelchair, the documents said. The student has several disabilities, records show.
Powell turned himself in that day and was arrested and charged with third-degree child abuse before being released on his own recognizance.
According to the Delaware Code, third-degree child abuse occurs when a person "intentionally or recklessly causes physical injury to a child" and the child has an intellectual, developmental or physical disability.
The Capital School District released the following statement:
More: Felton man, high on meth, beat wife to death, court documents reveal
"After investigating the incident, Capital School District contacted the Division of Family Services and has since cooperated with law enforcement. The District also informed the Delaware Department of Education of the incident and separation from employment, as we are required to do by law, and we have been cooperating with their investigators to provide information as requested. Our district takes matters of student safety very seriously.
"In light of this, we are committed to reassessing our training programs and procedures to be proactive with a focus on prevention. Our priority remains providing a safe and supportive environment for all students.
"As with all personnel matters with former and current employees, we are not at liberty to share additional information."
Powell is no longer employed by the district, Capital spokesperson Monica Shockley-Porter said by email.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Dover paraprofessional charged with abusing disabled fifth grader
