Florida teacher's aid accused of striking 2 nonverbal, special-needs children at school
SUMMERFIELD, Fla. - A teacher's aid in Florida was arrested on a battery charge after allegedly striking a non-verbal student in the mouth, and pressing her finger nail into the hand of another student, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Deborah Michelle Rand, 54, was hired as a paraprofessional at Harbour View Elementary School in 2024, part of Marion County Public Schools, and worked with special needs students, according to the district and the arrest report. She has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the legal case.
What we know:
According to the arrest report, on Jan. 27, 2025, a kindergarten teacher became concerned after seeing Ran allegedly "backhand" a female student with her right hand because the child was allegedly "not listening."
There were no visible marks on the student's face, according to the report, but the child was crying and said their face hurt. In another instance, Rand allegedly grabbed another child by her wrist "with force and pressed her fingernail on her," the report said.
There was an imprint of the woman's nail on the child's wrist, the report said.
Deputies wrote in the probable cause statement that both students were nonverbal, according to the report.

Booking photo for Deborah Rand (Credit: Marion County jail)
Rand denied the allegations following a post-Miranda interview, and said the only thing she "probably" did was take something out of a child's mouth that was not edible, according to the affidavit. She said she never abused any of the children.
A spokesperson for the district said Ran was hired as a substitute teacher with Marion County Public Schools in the early 2000s. In 2024, she became a paraprofessional at the elementary school.
The spokesperson said she has no letters of discipline in her employment file.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:
Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines
Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar
Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines
FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.