Former Westport teacher's aide due in court Dec. 15 in student assault case
She faces one count of assault and battery, the court docket shows, and pleaded not guilty in April before a judge released her on personal recognizance.
WESTPORT A former Westport Elementary School teacher's assistant charged with assault and battery in a case involving a student with disabilities is due back in Fall River District Court on Tuesday, Dec. 15, for disposition, court records show. A judge continued the case to that date at a pretrial hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the court docket.
The Fall River Reporter, which reported the new date Nov. 3, called it a probable disposition, a court date when lawyers expect to resolve a case without a full trial, usually through a plea bargain, a dismissal or an agreed sentence, citing a definition from Webb Law.
Bethany Bronhard, 44, faces one count of assault and battery, according to her docket, 2632CR000981, which shows a criminal complaint from Westport police issued March 16 and an alleged offense date of Nov. 5, 2025. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Thursday, April 2, according to WPRI 12 and the Fall River Reporter, and a judge released her on personal recognizance, the docket shows. Under state law, assault and battery carries up to two and a half years in a house of correction or a fine of up to $1,000. Bronhard is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Since the arraignment, the docket shows, the defense sought Westport Elementary School records through a court summons, which a judge allowed in August, and Westport Community Schools produced the records in September. On Oct. 1, a judge let both sides inspect and copy the records under a protective order and set the Nov. 3 pretrial hearing.
What police said
The incident is alleged to have happened at the school on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. The district's human resources director called Westport police two days later, on Friday, Nov. 7, according to the police report as WPRI described it. School officials showed police security camera footage from inside the school, and police said the video showed Bronhard "dragging a student down the hallway by his feet" twice in about 15 minutes, WPRI reported. Another clip allegedly showed her running after the student, picking him up and carrying him back to the classroom, according to the report.
A teacher told the school's principal at the time after Bronhard mentioned how she had gotten the student back into the classroom, police said, according to WPRI. Bronhard was placed on administrative leave, and the state Department of Children and Families and the student's parents were notified, the report said. The parents then decided to pursue charges, WPRI reported. Bronhard declined to give police a statement in November, according to the Fall River Reporter.
What the district said
In a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, Superintendent Fran Roy confirmed that a classroom teacher assistant at Westport Elementary School, whom the district did not name, had resigned after using "excessive physical force" with a student with disabilities, WJAR and the Fall River Reporter reported.
"The safety of our students is our top priority and conduct of this type by any staff toward any student is absolutely unacceptable and has no place in our schools," Roy said in the statement, as the Fall River Reporter published it. The district said Westport police and the Department of Children and Families had investigated and that it was cooperating with both. In April, Lori Melo, executive assistant to the superintendent and the School Committee, told WPRI the district had no additional comment.
What the defense said
Frank Camera, the defense lawyer listed on her docket, told WPRI in April that "what she did was not criminal conduct at all."
"Unfortunately, how she interacted with an extremely challenging situation may have not been procedurally correct, but it certainly was not criminal conduct," Camera told the station. He said the student's parents should be focusing on the school district instead, and that "Ms. Bronhard is being targeted."
What happens next
The case is scheduled to return to Fall River District Court on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Camera and the Bristol County District Attorney's Office were asked for comment on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and had not responded by the deadline, 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Any response will be added to this story. South Coast 360 does not name the student.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The charge, the count, the complaint and offense dates, the release, the records steps and the Nov. 3 and Dec. 15 court dates come from the Fall River District Court docket, which the clerk-magistrate's office provided Nov. 5. The plea comes from WPRI 12 (April 6) and the Fall River Reporter (Nov. 3), credited. The police account comes from the police report as WPRI described it. The district's words come from Superintendent Fran Roy's Dec. 9, 2025, statement as WJAR and the Fall River Reporter published it. The penalty comes from the state law itself. We read them on Nov. 4 and again on Nov. 9. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. We do not name the student. Not heard: Frank Camera, the defense lawyer listed on the docket, and the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, asked Nov. 4 with a deadline of 3 p.m. Nov. 6.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (5)
- Fall River District Court, Commonwealth v. Bethany Bronhard, docket 2632CR000981: criminal docket, copy provided by the clerk-magistrate's officeOne count of assault and battery, c. 265, s. 13A(a); complaint issued March 16, 2026, Westport police; offense date Nov. 5, 2025; released on personal recognizance April 2; records summons allowed Aug. 17, records produced Sept. 10, protective order Oct. 1; Nov. 3 pretrial hearing continued to Dec. 15 for disposition. Docket copy from the clerk-magistrate's office, Nov. 5, 2026.
- Fall River Reporter, "Case expected to be resolved next month concerning former Westport teacher's aide accused of assault & battery against special needs student"The probable disposition wording and definition, the age, the not guilty plea, her declining a police statement, and the superintendent's statement as published. Posted Nov. 3, 2026. Read Nov. 4 and Nov. 9, 2026.
- WPRI 12, "Former Westport TA charged with assaulting student with disabilities"The April 2 arraignment, the plea and release, the police report's account of the video and the Nov. 7 report to police, the district's April no comment, and the defense lawyer's words. Posted April 6, 2026. Read Nov. 4, 2026.
- WJAR NBC 10, "Westport teacher's assistant resigns after allegedly using excessive force on student"The superintendent's Dec. 9 statement confirming the resignation and the investigations. Posted Dec. 9, 2025. Read Nov. 4, 2026.
- Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 265, Section 13AThe penalty for assault and battery. Read Nov. 4, 2026.