A staff member at William T. Dwyer High School was arrested Tuesday after a physical altercation with a female student escalated beyond self-defense, according to the Palm Beach School District Police.

The incident occurred around 2:50 p.m. during dismissal. A bus driver requested assistance removing an unruly student. Shaundra Smith, a 49-year-old non-instructional employee, boarded the bus to address the situation and later asked for additional staff support and police assistance.

According to WPBF-TV, officers who boarded the bus observed Smith and the student throwing punches at one another. Police and administrators intervened and began restraining the student.

The police report states that while the student’s arms were being held, Smith climbed onto a bus seat and punched the student in the face. An officer ordered Smith to stop, but she allegedly struck the student two more times before being pulled away.

Authorities acknowledged that Smith’s initial actions were in self-defense but concluded that her conduct became “intentional and unnecessary infliction of physical injury” once the student was restrained. The student reportedly suffered cuts inside her lip and a scrape on her left collarbone.

Smith was arrested and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. During a court hearing Wednesday, a judge ordered her to have no contact with the student, the student’s family, or Palm Beach County School District property. She was later released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $10,000 bond.

In a message to families and staff, Principal Corey Brooks said Smith has been removed from campus pending the outcome of the investigation. The school district emphasized that student safety is its highest priority and stated that any conduct threatening student well-being will not be tolerated.