Flagler County jail helping teen in viral video attack of teacher's aide get GED

The Flagler County jail has been working to help Brendan Depa, the former student whose attack on a Matanzas High School teacher’s aide went viral, get his GED.

Depa, 18, has pleaded no contest to aggravated battery on a school board employee in the Feb. 21, 2023, attack on Joan Naydich in Palm Coast.

Depa is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday; he faces up to 30 years in prison, although he is unlikely to receive that much time.

Depa’s civil attorneys, Stephanie Langer and Maria Cammarata, filed a petition last week against the Flagler County School District, blaming it for failing to meet the Depa’s special needs, the brutal attack and the resulting criminal charge against the teenager.

Langer stated that the school district is responsible for Depa's education until his 22nd birthday because he has an individualized education plan.

Timeline in the case of Brendan Depa, ex-Matanzas student accused of beating teacher's aide

News stories about the petition prompted a letter from Daniel Engert, the chief of court and detention services for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, outlining what has been done to help Depa, since the teenager was transferred to the jail in August when he turned 18.

Engert stated that while the jail was not legally responsible to help Depa with his education, he has been involved in discussions with Depa’s mother before his arrival about his housing, access to reading material and visitation.

Engert said that last fall Eugene Lopes, a retired special education teacher, contacted him about tutoring Depa. Engert then contacted Flagler Technical College about a partnership so that Depa could take his GED examination.

Everyone collaborated so that Depa could study, according to Engert. Depa and Lopes spent three-quarters of the lessons in December studying for the language arts section of the GED, Engert wrote. The rest of the time Depa prepared for either math, science or social studies.

Depa gets ID, passes part of GED test

Depa was ready to take he language arts section of the GED by mid-January but he didn’t have a Florida ID card, which is required, since he had been incarcerated.

So they contacted Flagler County Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston’s office and arranged to take Depa to the Tax Collector’s Office before it opened one morning so he could get his card.

“We are proud to say he passed the Language Arts section of the GED! He has now completed all sections of the social studies and science lessons of the GED prep, and we are in the process of arranging computer access so he can take the social studies and science sections of the GED and to complete the required math lessons,” Engert wrote.

“Math has always been a struggle for Brendan but he is making significant progress through the lessons, according to Mr. Lopes,” Engert wrote.

Depa has also worked on his coping abilities while in jail, Engert wrote.

He said that FTC’s GED facilitator, Paul Delisle, developed a strong relationship with Depa and was the “glue” in the process; he took on teaching duties when Lopes was not available.

“Our detention staff made sure that Brendan was always ready and on time for his classes and gracefully providing encouragement when he was struggling to adapt to incarceration and living in a jail environment,” Engert wrote.

Engert credited the detention staff, FTC, the tax collectors, volunteers and Sheriff Rick Staly’s vision with making it all work.

Depa's education was not jail's responsibility

Langer wrote in an email that the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detention staff’s effort on behalf of Depa did not impact the petition against the school district.

“It was not his responsibility to provide an education, it was the school district's, but I am grateful to him, his staff and the volunteer tutor. It is amazing. And second, it shows how little effort (and resources) it takes for Brendan to be educated and that he can be very successful when people presume competency and give him a chance,” Langer wrote in an email.

She said that the efforts by the sheriff’s office and the volunteer tutor gave her hope.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida jail helps teen in viral video attack get GED