An employee with the Duval County Public Schools District was arrested Wednesday on a charge of Child Abuse Without Great Bodily Harm.
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The principal of Lake Shore Middle School sent a message to parents Wednesday, informing them that 43-year-old Tia Smith, a paraprofessional at the school, had been arrested. Principal Clark said Smith had gotten into a “physical interaction” with a student.
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“While the presumption of innocence applies, this individual has been removed from the school and will be in a position without student contact while internal and external investigations take place,” said Clark.
The school district released a statement, saying Smith was first hired by them in August 2023. After resigning for personal reasons, Smith was rehired in August of 2024.
Action News Jax is working to learn more about what happened and what capacity Smith served in. She is listed on the school’s website as a “paraprofessional ASD.”
Her first appearance in court is scheduled for Thursday morning.
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More details will be provided as they become available.
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