Las Vegas teacher facing child abuse charge

A West Prep Academy special education teacher was arrested Tuesday morning on felony charges of child abuse and coercion involving a student in early February, according to Clark County School District police.

Detective Mitch Maciszak said Margaret Boyett, 41, was arrested at her lawyer's office and later booked into the Clark County Detention Center. Boyett is also known as Margie Terranova.

She was in jail Tuesday evening on $6,000 bail. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance Thursday.

According to the district, Boyett was hired into the school system in August of 2009. She teaches autistic students at West Prep.

Maciszak said on Feb. 8, Boyett took a student's hand and struck him with it several times. She also attempted to slap the 13-year-old student, but a teacher's aide stopped her. The report does not specify what prompted the incident.

"She caused him to strike himself seven to eight times about the head," Maciszak said. "She attempted to essentially slap him, but was stopped."

Maciszak said the student was not injured.

The report said the teacher's aide yelled at Boyett to stop after she raised her open hand in a motion as to strike the student, and she did, temporarily. When Boyett again raised her hand the aide "had to physically grab the arm of Boyett to stop the attempted strike."

Boyett made the student apologize to her, according to the report. Maciszak said school police learned of the incident through the school staff the following day.

Police spoke with the boy, but because of his disability, he was unable "to comprehend the event and form a cognitive statement," according to the report.

David Roddy, a spokesman for the school district, said Boyett has been assigned home duty.

"She's not in the classroom," Roddy said. "She's not allowed in the school."

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.