Spit sock used on 9-year-old student, assistant principal reprimanded, officials say

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    FLAGLER COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — An assistant principal at a Flagler County elementary school has been reprimanded after authorizing the use of a spit sock, also called a spit hood, on a third grade student, officials told WESH 2 News.

An internal professional standards investigation also determined the assistant principal did not follow the student safety plan.

The 9-year-old student has documented behavioral issues. He has previously been hospitalized for those issues.

One day in late February, at Belle Terre Elementary School, the child was upset. His guardian could not control him, and school officials stepped in.

The school resource deputy’s body cam recorded staff efforts, with his guardian’s OK, to get the child out of her vehicle. He was screaming as they pulled him out and took him to a wellness room under the authority and direction of assistant principal Katrina Feola.

Along the way, according to the report, the child was biting, spitting and kicking.

The resource deputy’s camera does not show video in the wellness room, but the audio is clear as several staff members, including the assistant principal, restrained the boy, working to calm him.

At one point, as the child was allegedly spitting, a school volunteer asked, “Do we have spit socks here, or no? We do not.”

The school resource deputy offered his, and got it from his patrol car. It’s a mesh bag that fits over the head to prevent spitting and biting. It was briefly placed over the child’s head.

Flagler Schools executive director of leadership development, Bobby Bossardet, says the spit sock should never have been used and that if assistant principal Feola was concerned about the spread of COVID-19, as she mentioned during the restraint, she had other options.

The 9-year-old eventually calmed down and was returned to his classroom. After an internal investigation, Ms. Feola was given the lowest level of discipline, a verbal warning reduced to writing. In her letter of response, she wrote, “I made the best decisions I could make (in those moments.)”

In addition to the spit sock, a professional standards committee also found Feola used staff members who were not certified in crisis intervention.

According to documents, the student’s guardian was made aware of the use of the spit sock immediately after the event. “She was understanding and agreeable to that response,” officials said. The school district, however, was not in favor of the use of a spit sock.

The volunteer who suggested the use of the spit sock had been at Belle Terre Elementary School for five years, but after this incident, is no longer at the school, WESH 2 News has learned.

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