VALPARAISO – The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a school district employee in connection with an alleged child abuse incident from early September. Heather Bildstein, 46, a paraprofessional at Lewis School, was charged with one count of Child Abuse Without Great Harm following an investigation by the School Resource Officer.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the charge stems from a September 4th incident involving a 5-year-old student with autism. Investigators were told Bildstein struck the student with an open hand after the child had first struck her, knocking off her glasses. In her interview with law enforcement, Bildstein denied the accusation, claiming she stopped her hand before it made contact with the student.
However, the arrest report states that two witnesses provided separate accounts claiming they saw Bildstein’s hand make contact with the child’s face. Both reportedly described the strike as forceful enough to turn the student’s head. Officials said they saw no visible injuries on the child after the alleged incident. The Okaloosa County School District has placed Bildstein on administrative leave.
In a prepared statement, Superintendent Marcus Chambers confirmed the district is cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office and followed established procedures. He asserted that employees are expected to uphold the “highest standards” and will be “held accountable” for any failures to meet those expectations, while citing student privacy laws as a reason for not discussing specifics.
