Who is Amy Bonzano? Virginia teacher, 50, arrested for assaulting special needs student
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA: A special education teacher in Virginia has been charged with assaulting a student with special needs. Amy Bonzano, 50, was detained on Friday, December 2, and is charged with two counts of simple assault on a student with special needs. On September 28, another school employee reported seeing the assault at Marshall High School, according to Fairfax County police. That employee immediately reported the incident to the school's administration, prompting an internal investigation.
Officials at the school learned throughout the investigation that another instructor had also seen Bonzano physically assault the student around six months earlier. However, that teacher chose not to report the incident at the time. The investigation was then taken over by Fairfax County police, and Bonzano was detained on Friday, December 2. Jeffrey Litz, the principal of Marshall High School, informed the students’ families that Bonzano had been placed on administrative leave following the reported assault on September 28.
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According to ABC7, Litz wrote, "I am deeply saddened tonight to inform you that Fairfax County police have announced the arrest of a special education teacher at Marshall High School who has been charged with assaulting a student. When the alleged incident occurred on September 28th, we contacted the family and the proper authorities, and placed the staff member on administrative leave." The instructor who neglected to disclose the earlier event, according to Litz, was also given an administrative leave of absence.
"As the police reference, the investigation resulted in a staff member sharing that they had witnessed a similar incident six months earlier but did not report it. I want you to know that the person who did not report the previous incident was immediately placed on leave. As principal, my primary responsibility is the safety and security of everyone who enters the doors of Marshall High School. This is something I take very seriously. As educators, we are entrusted with the well-being of the children in our care every day. It deeply affects us when someone appears to have broken that trust,” Litz reportedly remarked in his note.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at 703-246-7800 and select option 4. Additionally, anonymous tips can be sent to Fairfax County Crime Solvers using the P3 Tips App or by calling 1-866-411-8477.