MELBOURNE, Fla. — A Pineapple Cove Academy teaching assistant in West Melbourne has been charged with aggravated child abuse following a child’s broken arm on October 7.
Shona Little, 36, was detained on October 10, three days after the incident, and was released the next day from Brevard County Jail on a $50,000 bond. The injury happened at the school, and video footage allegedly showed Little grabbing the child’s wrist and forcefully pulling it, which caused the injury.
The Pineapple Cove Academy incident involved a child whose name and age were not disclosed in court documents. Initially, the child’s guardian was told that the injury may have happened on the playground. However, subsequent communication from the school staff indicated that classroom video footage recorded the incident.
Based on arrest records, the footage depicted Little grasping the child’s wrist while they walked back and forth, with the child seeming to try pulling away. Little then ‘forcefully yanked’ the child’s arm, resulting in the child falling to her knees and crying uncontrollably.
After the incident, Little was immediately dismissed from her teaching assistant role. The school also provided the child’s family with two weeks of free tuition as a gesture of goodwill.
A detective examined the video footage and confirmed that Little was terminated. The footage from the playground following the incident showed the child holding her left arm, appearing to be in discomfort. Additionally, another teacher reported the injury to the school staff.
Shona Little was taken into custody three days following the incident at Pineapple Cove Academy.
Little mentioned that she had previously used the method of holding children’s wrists for control, but was later advised to instruct children to put their hands in their pockets when being escorted.
Shona Little is scheduled to appear in court on November 4, as the investigation into the incident at Pineapple Cove Academy continues.
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