Fairfax County schools employees charged in case of assault on children with intellectual disabilities
Cylmeera Gastav (left), Scott Bloom (center) and Cecilia Benavides (right).
VIENNA, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - Three Fairfax County schools employees are facing charges in connection with an investigation into assaults on students with intellectual disabilities.
Fairfax County police identified the suspects as former Fairfax County employees 48-year-old Cylmeera Gastav of Herndon and 59-year-old Cecilia Benavides of Alexandria, and former Freedom Hill Elementary School Principal 39-year-old Scott Blum of Reston.
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3 former Fairfax County schools employees indicted on charges related to abuse of students with intellectual disabilities
Officials announced that three former Fairfax County schools employees have been indicted on charges in connection with an investigation into assaults on students with intellectual disabilities.
Authorities said Gastav and Benavides were indicted on abuse and assault charges while Blum was indicted for failure to report. Gastav and Benavides have backgrounds in special education, according to officials.
A teacher noticed bruising on a student and reported it, but officials said the report was never passed on to the police. In all, detectives said they believed six students were victims of abuse between April and September of this year and that all the incidents happened at Freedom Hill Elementary School in Vienna.
Officials said the new principal of Freedom Hill Elementary School reported the alleged abuse as soon as the new principal learned of the allegations.
