Instructional Assistant Charged With Assault Of Special Needs Student

BAILEY'S CROSSROADS, VA — An instructional assistant at a Bailey's Crossroads elementary school has been charged with assault of a special needs student, according to Fairfax County Police.

The alleged assault of the special needs student happened on Dec. 8 at Glen Forest Elementary School. Another employee had seen the assault and reported it to school administrators.

Fairfax County Police were notified the same day. Detectives conducted numerous interviews during the investigation and obtained a warrant for a simple assault charge.

The instructional assistant, Meredith Capets, 36, of Alexandria, turned herself in Tuesday at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and was served with the warrant. Capets was released on an unsecured bond.

In response to the arrest, Glen Forest Elementary Principal Diane Herndon-Wilson said Capets was immediately placed on administrative leave.

"As principal, my primary responsibility is the safety and security of everyone who enters the doors of Glen Forest," Herndon-Wilson wrote to families. "This is something I take very seriously. As educators, we are entrusted with the wellbeing of the children in our care every day. It deeply affects us when someone appears to have broken that trust."

The police department's Victim Services Division was assigned to provide resources to the victim.

This was the second assault of a special needs student that has led to charges by Fairfax County Police in recent months. In December, police charged a special education teacher at Marshall High School with the assault of a special needs student. That teacher was placed on administrative leave.

Anyone with information may contact the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3, or submit a tip through Crime Solvers.