Elementary school staff are accused of giving hot sauce and spicy takis and other abuses to special needs students with digestive disabilities

SMYRNA, Del. (Gray News) – Three employees at a Delaware elementary school are facing charges after police say they neglected and abused children with special needs in the classroom.

According to Smyrna police, the investigation began in February and ended with the arrests of three women this week.

Police said Smyrna School District staff noticed “a disturbing pattern of behavior in an elementary school special needs classroom.” This included throwing objects at students, yelling at them and calling them profanities, police said.

One of the suspects, 31-year-old Makayla Lomax, is also accused of punching a student in the face and spraying him with a water bottle as a disciplinary measure.

Police said the other two suspects, 26-year-old Marissa Johnson and 21-year-old Morgan Donahue, once served hot sauce and hot takis – the spicy tortilla chip snack – to a special needs student who had a known digestive disability – fed.

All three women are charged with various counts of endangering the welfare of children. Lomax is also charged with third-degree child abuse for allegedly hitting and throwing water on the student.

The Smyrna School District said in a statement Wednesday that the three women “have not been in the presence of our students since the alleged misconduct was brought to the district's attention” and reported the allegations to the Department of Family Services and law enforcement.

“Student safety is of the utmost importance to the Smyrna School District,” the district wrote. “We will continue to evaluate and improve all aspects of school safety. We will continue to support our school community during this difficult time.”

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