A special education aide at Pee Dee Elementary School in Horry County, South Carolina, is facing a criminal charge after police say she punched a 6-year-old nonverbal autistic student with a closed fist. According to an arrest warrant and police report, a witness saw Kristin Daly, 57, strike the child hard enough to make him stumble backward, then tell the witness, “You did not see that.” Police were notified on Sept. 26 about the alleged assault the day before.
Daly has been charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm. She was released Monday on a $10,000 bond and has been on administrative leave since Sept. 28. She has worked full-time for Horry County Schools since 2022. The police report notes the student was not seriously injured and that he is known to run toward people while swinging his arms.
Here on the Suncoast, the story lands hard for families with children in special education. Nonverbal students can’t report what happens to them, which puts the entire burden of protection on the adults in the room, and on witnesses willing to speak up. If that witness had stayed silent, this case likely wouldn’t exist. What safeguards would you want in place for students who can’t advocate for themselves?
