Teacher’s Aid Beaten by 260 lb Student in FL School

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The Florida teacher’s aide who was brutally attacked by a 270-pound student denied her teenage assailant’s claims that she sparked the classroom beatdown when she confiscated his Nintendo Switch. Joan Naydich, a paraprofessional at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, made the revelation Monday as she continues to recover from being slammed to the floor and stomped on 15 times.

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“I just want to set the record straight. I never took the Nintendo Switch from him. From anyone that’s read or heard differently, I’ve been told this was unfortunately misinformation,” Naydich said, according to a fundraiser launched for her recovery.

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Brendan Depa, 17, told cops he launched his tirade on Naydich after she took his handheld game console during class. Disturbing video shows the hulking, 6-foot-6 teenager exacting his revenge on the mother of two in the school hallway.

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Depa can be seen sprinting toward Naydich and shoving her to the floor, knocking her unconscious immediately.

The teenager continues to beat Naydich’s limp body as stunned students and teachers try to break up the violence.

It took four adults to pry the massive student off Naydich, the footage shows.

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Depa — who allegedly told cops he was “going to kill her” when he is released from custody — will be tried as an adult for aggravated battery on a school board employee, a charge punishable by up to 30 years behind bars.

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The troubled teen has a violent past and was arrested three times for simple battery in 2019. Depa is considered behaviorally disabled and requires specially designed instruction and related services as a so-called “exceptional student.”

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