VALPARASIO, Fla., Sept. 10, 2026—A paraprofessional was arrested today following an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigation into an alleged child abuse incident at Lewis School in Valparaiso.

On Sept. 4, an OCSO school resource officer was notified of an allegation that Heather Bildstein, 46, who is an education support staff member at Lewis School, slapped a 5-year-old autistic student in the face, according to an OCSO news release.

According to the investigation, the incident occurred after the child struck Bildstein in the face, knocking off her glasses.

When interviewed by investigators, Bildstein denied striking the child in the face and stated she stopped before making contact.

Two witnesses provided separate statements to investigators. Both reported seeing Bildstein’s hand make contact with the child’s face and said the strike was hard enough to cause the child’s head to turn.

No visible injuries were observed following the incident, according to the release.

Bildstein has been charged with child abuse without great harm.

The Okaloosa County School District placed Bildstein on administrative leave per established polices and procedures and is cooperating with the investigation.

“We have been working with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office throughout this matter and will fully cooperate with law enforcement and any applicable investigation,” said Marcus Chambers, OCSD superintendent. “When it comes to our students’ well-being, we expect our employees to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, and any breach of those standards is unacceptable.”

OCSO news release