Lake Shore Middle School | Google
Published on April 21, 2025 at 9:37 pm
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A paraprofessional at Lake Shore Middle School in Jacksonville was arrested last week and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. A substitute teacher said he saw Tia Nicole Smith, 43, hit a non-verbal special-needs student. He said the teacher’s assistant put her hand on the student’s neck, pressed him against the outside of a portable, and punched him twice in the face, according to the police report released by Duval Schools on Monday of this week.
According to court records, Smith is a paraprofessional supporting students with autism.
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A district spokesperson said last week that Smith had worked for Duval Schools on and off for about a year and a half. The district did not provide her full personnel file or answer whether she was still employed by the time of this story’s publication.
Lake Shore Principal Latasha Clark notified families of her arrest Wednesday, April 16.
“We are in direct contact with the family of the student involved but wanted to ensure our entire school community was aware of what took place,” Clark said in the email to parents. “While the presumption of innocence applies, this individual has been removed from the school and will be in a position without student contact while internal and external investigations take place.”
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Smith told Jacksonville Today news partner News4Jax that she acted in self defense after the student pulled her hair. A less redacted version of the police report filed in court says Smith told police the student had tried to kiss her on the mouth earlier in the day.
Jacksonville Today reached out to Smith, but she did not respond by this story’s publication.
The alleged victim, whose age is not specified, was in a “heightened state,” according to the police report, and Smith was attempting to escort him to a portable classroom used to help students in such situations calm down. The report says another teacher’s assistant responded to a radioed call for help and saw Smith and the student “physically engaged but not striking one another.” He then took the student to the calming classroom.
After her arrest, Smith was released Friday on $25,000 bond. Her next court date is May 8.
Responding appropriately to students with disabilities who become physically agitated can be difficult. St. Johns County Schools recently faced criticism from the federal government for its high rate of using a technique called “restraint.”
