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School bus attendant seen hitting autistic student in surveillance footage

Debbie Chavira, 64, allegedly struck the child dozens of times over 10 days.

November 12, 2024, 7:16 PM

A school bus attendant for Albuquerque, New Mexico, Public Schools has been arrested after she was seen in surveillance video repeatedly hitting an autistic student.

Debbie Chavira, 64, is accused of striking the child dozens of times over the course of 10 days, according to an incident report.

Police said Chavira struck the student in his face, torso and arms a total of 59 times between Aug. 26 and Sept. 4. On Sept. 4, school officials reported her after the child showed up "with fresh scratch marks on the back of his neck," the incident report states.

A still from surveillance video shows former Albuquerque Public Schools bus attendant Debbie Chavira is shown.
Albuquerque Public Schools

While investigating the alleged abuse, officials viewed additional surveillance footage, where they say Chavira was seen repeatedly hitting the child over the span of 10 days.

Chavira struck the child "open-handed, closed fisted, and with a plastic (yellow) 'child check' sign," and did so "intentionally and without justifiable cause," according to the incident report.

In this photo released in court documents, a sign used by a former bus attendent is shown.
Metropolitan Court, County of Bernalillo, State of New Mexico

Investigators were unable to interview the child due to him "being autistic and non-verbal" and unable to "communicate through writing either," the report states.

Chavira resigned from her job Sept. 5, according to Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT, and was arrested on Oct. 4. She has been released from jail and is now under pretrial supervision.

In this screen grab from a video, former Albuquerque Public Schools bus attendant Debbie Chavira is shown in court in Albuquerque, N.M.
KOAT

She has been charged with five counts of abandonment or abuse of a child. A representative could not immediately be found for Chavira.

In a statement to ABC News, Martin Salazar, a spokesperson for Albuquerque Public Schools, said the school district does "not tolerate this kind of behavior."

"Upon discovering what was happening, we immediately placed bus attendant Debbie Chavira on leave and notified the APS Police Department. APS Police launched an investigation and filed criminal charges. Ms. Chavira resigned shortly after being placed on leave," Salazar said.