Bryan Schewitz

Introduction

Bryan Schewitz is a 60-year-old substitute teacher from Flagler Beach, Florida, who was arrested on October 16, 2026, and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm after investigators said he kicked a student with disabilities during class at Matanzas High School in Flagler County. According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, two classroom witnesses reported that Schewitz had forcefully moved the student into a chair during a behavioral episode, held the boy’s hands on a table while warning him that “the gloves are off,” and later answered a question about a large mark on the student’s leg by saying: “He kicked me and I kicked him. So now we’re square.” Schewitz told deputies the kick was accidental.

Background Information

Schewitz was working as a substitute at Matanzas High School, a public school in Palm Coast serving grades 9 through 12 in the Flagler County school district. On October 16, 2026, the school’s assistant principal notified the school resource deputy of an incident involving Schewitz and a student whose disability was not specified publicly, according to the sheriff’s office. FlaglerLive, a local news outlet, reported from the arrest report that the two witnesses who came forward were paraprofessionals Sara Ruckdeschel and Matthew Fiorentino, and that Ruckdeschel had previously reported Schewitz to Assistant Principal Kara Minn for being “too rough with the kids.” The report also notes that a district lead behavior specialist confirmed Schewitz lacked training in the redirection techniques he used, and Schewitz himself acknowledged he was not certified to apply them.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not adjudicated. Schewitz faces a child abuse charge — reported by FlaglerLive as a felony count of child abuse without great bodily harm — for the alleged kicking of a student with disabilities. He denies kicking the boy intentionally, saying the contact was accidental, and no conviction has been entered.

The incident unfolded on October 16 while the student was experiencing behavioral difficulties during class, investigators said. Ruckdeschel told the school resource deputy that Schewitz forcefully moved the student into a chair, then forced him to place his hands on the table while saying “the gloves are off,” and that she felt he was “way too rough” with the boy, according to the arrest report. Fiorentino reported seeing Schewitz kick the student in the leg, then noticing a large mark; when he asked about it, Schewitz allegedly replied, “He kicked me and I kicked him. So now we’re square.” Before deputies arrived, the assistant principal asked the student what happened to his leg, and the student answered: “Bryan kicked.”

The student’s mother later contacted deputies to report that skin was missing from her child’s leg and provided photographs of the injury, WKMG reported, citing the arrest report. When deputies interviewed Schewitz, he gave a different account: the student had arrived late, refused to sit down and kicked toward him, striking his leg, so he stuck his foot out and kicked the boy “by accident.” He said he had guided the student to a chair by the shoulder after the boy walked around trying to poke other students with a pencil, and acknowledged holding the student’s hands on the table and delivering the “gloves” warning, which he said was meant to signal that he was being serious rather than to frighten anyone. Asked about the “square” remark, he initially denied making it, then expressed uncertainty about whether he had said it, investigators said.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly condemned the alleged conduct, saying adults entrusted with children — “especially those who require extra care because of disabilities” — are expected to remain levelheaded, and that “it is never okay for a faculty member to strike a student, especially out of anger or frustration.” Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said the district takes such investigations seriously: “This kind of behavior will not be tolerated on our campuses.” The remark Schewitz allegedly made about being “square” with a disabled child drew wide pickup, with national and local outlets leading their coverage with the quote.

Current Status

Schewitz was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility following his October 16 arrest and released the next day after posting $2,500 bond, according to the sheriff’s office. The New York Post reported it was not immediately clear whether he had been suspended, fired or removed from the district’s substitute teaching roster, while FlaglerLive reported he “is not expected back in Flagler schools.” The criminal charge remains pending, and no court date or plea appears in the available record.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A substitute-teaching career in Flagler County is, at minimum, interrupted: Schewitz posted bond the day after his arrest but faces a child-abuse allegation involving a disabled student in his own classroom — the kind of accusation that forecloses school work regardless of the legal outcome. The arrest report’s note that he lacked certification in the redirection techniques he used has also put attention on the district’s own practices, with FlaglerLive observing it had placed an untrained substitute with special-education students.

Sources

• Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, “Substitute Teacher Arrested for Kicking Student with Disabilities,” October 2026 — source
• New York Post, “Florida substitute teacher busted for allegedly kicking special needs student: ‘Now we’re square’,” October 2026 — source
• FlaglerLive, “Substitute Untrained in Control Techniques by District Arrested for Kicking Special Ed Student at Matanzas,” October 2026 — source
• FOX 35 Orlando, “Sheriff: Florida substitute teacher arrested after allegedly kicking special needs student,” October 2026 — source
• WKMG ClickOrlando, “‘Now we’re square:’ Flagler Beach substitute teacher accused of kicking student with disabilities,” October 2026 — source
• News4JAX, “Substitute teacher accused of kicking student with disabilities at Matanzas High School,” October 2026 — source