A Florida school bus attendant is behind bars for allegedly hitting a child 9 times with a belt, she now faces felony charges, Fox News reported. 

Loni Covington, also known as Miss Loni, was apprehended by the Winter Haven Police Department for allegedly beating an 11-year-old boy with a belt on November 15, 2022, according to FOX 13. The child’s grandmother is the one who reported the assault to authorities after discovering belt marks on the child’s back and side. She took photos of the alleged wounds and gave them to Polk County School Transportation.

Police launched an investigation into the incident and questioned Covington about the matter. She reportedly told officers that the 11-year-old boy would not sit down on the bus after receiving multiple warnings from her, claiming that he talked back to her. Police said that Covington then asked a different student to hand over his belt, but Covington says she used it to

“hit the floor as well as the back of the seat,”

reports state. 

However, after interviewing other witnesses and looking at video surveillance from the bus police found that the belt hit the boy nine times. One of the children also revealed that Covington forced all three of the siblings to sit on a seat that was made to only hold two children which caused the child sitting at the end to fall off every time the bus turned or stopped. 

“This is unacceptable behavior for anyone who works with children. We appreciate the Winter Haven Police Department for conducting a thorough investigation and helping us protect our students,”

The Polk County School Board told Fox News.

Covington was arrested and now faces charges of felony child abuse. 

Clique, what are your thoughts?