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School Bus Attendant Arrested for Child Abuse
A school bus attendant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was arrested for allegedly abusing an autistic student. Surveillance video shows the attendant repeatedly hitting the child.
English
United States
Human Rights ViolationsHealthGender IssuesArrestChild AbuseAbuseSurveillanceSchool
Albuquerque Public SchoolsAps Police DepartmentMetropolitan CourtCounty Of Bernalillo
Debbie ChaviraMartin Salazar
- Describe the nature of the alleged abuse.
- The abuse included open-handed strikes, closed-fisted blows, and hitting the child with a plastic sign. The child, being autistic and non-verbal, could not be interviewed by investigators.
- What is the main accusation against Debbie Chavira?
- Debbie Chavira, a 64-year-old school bus attendant, was arrested for allegedly abusing an autistic student. Surveillance footage showed her hitting the child 59 times over 10 days.
- What type of evidence was used in the investigation?
- Investigators used surveillance video as evidence to build a case against Chavira. The video clearly showed the multiple instances of physical abuse against the nonverbal autistic child.
- What was the response of Albuquerque Public Schools?
- Albuquerque Public Schools immediately placed Chavira on leave upon discovering the abuse and reported it to the APS Police Department. The school district stated they do not tolerate such behavior.
- What happened after the alleged abuse was discovered?
- Chavira resigned from her position on September 5th and was arrested on October 4th. She has been charged with five counts of child abuse and neglect and is currently under pretrial supervision.