CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Chesapeake elementary school teacher Janice Maw was arrested on August 30 on misdemeanor charges of assault and battery on two minors, court documents revealed.
Elizabeth Leemon, a Chesapeake parent, said she filed charges against Maw on June 23, 2022, after she said the special education teacher abused her 11-year-old daughter Christina Moore inside the classroom at Grassfield Elementary School.
“I was told the teacher had a spray bottle of water she would keep in the car, and she would spray these kids in the face with the water bottle when they got too excited,” Leemon told WTKR in June. “She told me the teacher would squeeze my daughter’s mouth and scream at her face.”
The Chesapeake mother said her daughter, who’s non-verbal, was physically and verbally abused by Maw.
Allegations surfaced in June after Leemon said one of the aids told her she saw the abuse firsthand inside the classroom.
“It was alleged that she hurt my daughter and assaulted her, and I’m not going to let anybody touch my kids,” said Leemon.
Other parents claimed their children – two of Christina’s classmates – were also abused.
Both Leemon and one other parent pressed charges against the special education teacher.
Christina’s mother said she started noticing changes in her daughter’s behavior in May when the alleged abuse took place.
“She would cry a lot when she came home,” Leemon said. “She always wanted me there. She didn’t want me out of her sight. She was jumpy. She was having nightmares at night.”
Months later, police charged Maw with assault and battery and arrested her at school.
Police said they had to wait until the teacher, who lives in Elizabeth City, was back in Chesapeake before they could move forward with the arrest.
“I feel relieved,” said Leemon. “I feel maybe this right now is the opportunity for justice.”
Chesapeake Public Schools has placed the teacher on administrative leave again.
When allegations surfaced in May, the school district and Child Protective Services immediately launched its own investigation.
In a statement Wednesday, Dr. Chris Vail, a spokesperson for the school district, said both they and CPS have concluded the allegations against Maw are “unfounded.”
“The School Division can confirm that misdemeanor allegations of assault and battery have been made by a student’s parent and that Ms. Maw has been placed on administrative leave. This does not imply that the School Division has made a finding of wrongdoing. Chesapeake Public Schools and Child Protective Services investigated these allegations previously and believed them to be unfounded.
“Our practice is that we do not comment further on such situations because the matter involves personnel and a student. The safety of our students is our top priority, and Chesapeake Public Schools expects all employees to act with the utmost professionalism to provide a positive learning environment for all students.”
Leemon believes the school and CPS mishandled the investigation.
“I’m angry,” she said. “I feel like again these kids were denied justice because they can’t talk.”
WTKR reached out to the teacher for comment but when reporter Antoinette DelBel identified herself, she immediately hung up.
Maw is out on bond right now and will be in court for an arraignment on September 7 at 9 a.m.
