Teacher fired, arrested for hitting student with broomstick
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Cyntyche Darling, 49, of Port St. Lucie, was booked in at the Palm Beach County Jail on April 22 after St. Lucie County Sheriff’s officials got a warrant for her arrest on a felony child abuse charge. The circumstances around her arrest in Palm Beach County weren't clear Monday afternoon.
Sheriff’s officials on April 21 went to the school in the 3200 block of South 25th Street regarding the case. A day earlier, records show, a friend of the student emailed a video of the incident, and investigators reported it appeared Darling hit the student two times.
Cyntyche Darling- A Treasure Coast teacher was fired and arrested after a video.
Darling reportedly was sweeping or had the broom, and the broom got broken. The student picked up the broken piece of broom and ran with it. Darling took it away and cut herself.
Darling reportedly threw the piece at the student, but it missed and damaged a computer.
“The video was obvious in the fact that Ms. Darling did strike the victim with the stick or broken broom,” records stated.
Darling was fired after the incident, according to Lydia Martin, chief communications officer for St. Lucie Public Schools.
“The alleged behavior is intolerable and reprehensible. As a result of the initial investigation, the teacher has been terminated,” Martin said via email. “This behavior represents a total disregard for SLPS’s mission to provide a safe and caring teaching and learning environment and such behavior is not tolerated.”
The student told investigators Darling got upset by his behavior. He said she eventually chased him and on two occasions pinned him between two desks. He said she struck him once in the upper left leg area, and twice in his hand and arm.
Martin stated Darling worked for less than two months in 2010 as a food service assistant. She was rehired in 2013 and worked until her termination April 21.
Darling’s job assignments included food service assistant, self care aide, behavior tech and ESE (exceptional student education) para, according to Martin.
She was hired in August 2021 as an ESE teacher, Martin stated.
Darling reportedly was sweeping or had the broom, and the broom got broken. The student picked up the broken piece of broom and ran with it. Darling took it away and cut herself.
Darling reportedly threw the piece at the student, but it missed and damaged a computer.
“The video was obvious in the fact that Ms. Darling did strike the victim with the stick or broken broom,” records stated.
Darling was fired after the incident, according to Lydia Martin, chief communications officer for St. Lucie Public Schools.
“The alleged behavior is intolerable and reprehensible. As a result of the initial investigation, the teacher has been terminated,” Martin said via email. “This behavior represents a total disregard for SLPS’s mission to provide a safe and caring teaching and learning environment and such behavior is not tolerated.”
The student told investigators Darling got upset by his behavior. He said she eventually chased him and on two occasions pinned him between two desks. He said she struck him once in the upper left leg area, and twice in his hand and arm.
Martin stated Darling worked for less than two months in 2010 as a food service assistant. She was rehired in 2013 and worked until her termination April 21.
Darling’s job assignments included food service assistant, self care aide, behavior tech and ESE (exceptional student education) para, according to Martin.
She was hired in August 2021 as an ESE teacher, Martin stated.