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Eustis Middle School administrator removed after district finds improper physical contact with student

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Published  April 29, 2025 7:17pm EDT
Lake County
FOX 35 Orlando
Eustis Middle School administrator removed over student incident

Eustis Middle School administrator removed over student incident

An administrator will not be returning to Eustis Middle School after an investigation found she inappropriately grabbed a 7th grade student last month. FOX 35's Marie Edinger has the latest on the case and spoke with the students mother in this FOX 35 Exclusive interview.

The Brief

    • A Eustis Middle School administrator will not return to the school after a district investigation found she inappropriately grabbed a 7th grade student while trying to take his phone.
    • Although police declined to press charges, the district found her guilty of misconduct and reassigned her to a non-school position.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A Eustis Middle School administrator will not return to the school after a district investigation found she inappropriately grabbed a 7th grade student while trying to take his phone.

The backstory:

An administrator will not be returning to Eustis Middle School after an investigation found she inappropriately grabbed a 7th grade student last month.

We aren’t naming the administrator, because Eustis Police declined to press criminal charges. But the Lake County School District did find her guilty of violating their policy.

Surveillance video shows administrator touch 7th grader

What we know:

Law enforcement and the Lake County School District say surveillance video shows the school administrator’s hand briefly touch around the back of 7th grader Ky’lin Williams’ neck as she’s trying to confiscate his phone. Then, she wraps her arms around him.

The administrator was reassigned to work in a bus lot while the district investigated.

And now, that investigation is concluded.

A report from Superintendent Diane Kornegay says the administrator was found guilty of "immorality," "misconduct in office," and "incompetency."

The Superintendent says,
"Initial contact with the student may have been unintentional, however her continued pursuit of the student and the student’s phone was inappropriate. [She] should not have tried to get the phone from the student in the first place."

Records show the administrator was hired at Eustis Middle in August of 2023 and that she had no other disciplinary action taken against her.

Administrator will not return to school

What we don't know:

The Lake County School District says she will not be permitted back to Eustis Middle School and she will not be transferred to any other school in Lake County, but did not say where she’ll be working in the meantime.

"I still feel hopeless in ways"

What they're saying:

"She grabbed my neck," Ky’lin told FOX 35 after the incident first happened. "When I get scared, it's hard for me to breathe."

When FOX 35 News Reporter Marie Edinger talked with Ky’lin again after he learned the administrator would not be returning to school, he said he felt relieved.

"It's been a long month," his mom, Ashley Griffin, told FOX 35. "I still feel hopeless in ways. I still have to watch my kid cry. I still had to watch him worry."

Griffin says she’s happy the incident didn’t go unnoticed, and she feels the School Board did its job. But she doesn’t consider her fight to be over.

"At least he have that little peace of mind at school now," she said. "I'm not satisfied because, I mean, facts are it happened. And no criminal charges have came forward yet. I'm okay, but I'm not satisfied."

Discussing with Florida Department of Education & State Attorney’s Office

What's next:

Griffin says she’s in communication with the Florida Department of Education about this. She’s also hoping the State Attorney’s Office will take up criminal charges, even though the Eustis Police Department did not recommend them.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

The Source: FOX 35’s Marie Edinger reported on the incident, detailing the district’s findings and the student, Ky’lin Williams’ reaction to learning the administrator would not return to Eustis Middle School. She also had a FOX 35 Exclusive interview with the student's mother, Ashley Griffin.

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