A teaching aide who was brutally beaten by a 6’6″ teen student is a ‘humble’ mom-of-two whose son attends the same high school, it has been revealed.
Joan Naydich, 57, of Palm Coast, Florida, was thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious by an unidentified teen student on Tuesday at Matanzas High School after she took away his Nintendo Switch.
The mother-of-two has a son Morgan, a senior, who attends the high school and a daughter who graduated in 2013. She has worked for Flagler County Schools since 2004 and has worked at Matanzas since 2021.
‘Joan is humble, never asks for help and needs our love/support during this difficult time,’ friend and fellow parent, Jessica White Leon, wrote on GoFundMe. ‘I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Joan through our kids’ bowling team for Matanzas HS for the last six years!’
Flagler County deputies found Naydich with ‘severe’ injuries after she was hit by the student at least 15 times. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment. It is unclear if she is still in the hospital.
Sheriff Rick Staly told WESH 2: ‘This could have been a homicide.’
The student, who is special needs, was arrested and charged with a juvenile felony for aggravated battery with bodily harm, which faces up to five years. He is currently in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.
In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the hulking student can be seen rushing up to Naydich before launching her across the room, her body flying several feet.
She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious. The special needs student immediately begins kicking Naydich before kneeling down to punch her in the head and torso.
Another woman runs up to the student and grabs his arm, but is unable to pull him off the aide before several others rush to drag him off her. Even after they manage to push him to the ground, he still reaches his leg out to hit Naydich a few more times.
It takes five staff members to restrain and drag him away from her body as he fought against them.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office found Naydich with ‘severe injuries’ and she was transported to the hospital for treatment.
The teen claimed he would ‘beat her up every time she takes away his game,’ and spat on Naydich as deputies escorted him away, according to the arrest report.
In bodycam footage, the student can be seen asking officers if he is ‘going to jail,’ while they handcuff him in the school.
‘For how long?’ the students asked.
‘I don’t know,’ the officer replied.
Moments later he told officers: ‘F**k you, I don’t want to go to jail. I have more important things to do,’ before accusing them of manhandling him.
Staly called the ordeal ‘absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for.’
‘We hope [Naydich] will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident,’ he said in a statement. ‘Our schools should be a safe place – for both employees and students.’
Flagler Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt agreed, saying: ‘Creating a safe learning and working environment on our campuses is critical. Violence is never an appropriate reaction.’
The Flagler School Board did say at a meeting after the event that they have made it a ‘high priority’ to go over policy to ‘help with this.’
