Fada Concepcion, 52, flashed a double thumbs-up to her attorney after a judge slashed her bond Friday.
The veteran science teacher had just learned she would walk out of the Seminole County courtroom on $1,000 bond rather than the $5,000 originally set, following her Thursday arrest on a child abuse charge. Concepcion, who spent 29 years in the district, now faces prosecution for allegedly dragging a seventh-grade student roughly 20 feet by the arm from her classroom into an exterior hallway during third period on September 29.
Investigators say the Tuskawilla Middle School student reported the encounter to school officials, who reviewed surveillance footage and contacted the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. The video allegedly shows Concepcion grabbing the student and pulling or dragging him from his desk through the hallway.
When deputies questioned her, Concepcion disputed their characterization entirely. She said she had “no recollection” of dragging the student and maintained she had simply escorted him from the classroom.
Her attorney, Tony Duran, pressed that distinction hard in court Friday. “The student was misbehaving, and my client used the word ‘escorting’… The detective used the words ‘drag’,” he said, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
“Basically, grabbed the child by the arm and took him out of the classroom – and there’s no indication in this probable cause affidavit that the student was injured in any way, no bruising on the arm, no other type of injury,” he continued. “Child abuse requires more than just touching a child.”
The judge found probable cause for the case to proceed anyway, though the reduced bond means Concepcion will remain free while awaiting her next court date. She was barred from contacting the student and from returning to Tuskawilla Middle School.
Seminole County Public Schools moved swiftly to remove her from campus, placing her on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
“We take all allegations involving our students’ safety and well-being seriously and will respond quickly,” a district spokesperson said. “This teacher is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement and the Office of Professional Standards in accordance with district policies and procedures.”
Surveillance footage allegedly capturing the incident wasn’t immediately released to the public. The district’s statement made no mention of any prior disciplinary issues involving Concepcion during her nearly three-decade career.
Duran declined to discuss the case with The Post. “I don’t comment on pending litigation,” he said.
Concepcion is scheduled to return to court in November.