Former math teacher admitted ‘lack of judgement’ after using chokehold on students, warrant shows
NORWALK — A former elementary school math coach told the assistant principal she displayed a “lack of judgment” when she demonstrated a chokehold to a fifth-grade class, where one student passed out last month, according to her arrest warrant affidavit.
Stefanie Sanabria, 50, was charged with seconddegree strangulation, firstdegree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor. The Danbury woman has since resigned from her position at Brookside Elementary School, according to Emily Morgan, a spokesperson for the district.
“The safety of our students is our first concern, and we immediately investigated the situation involving Ms. Sanabria when it occurred,” Morgan said in a statement Monday.
The incident occurred on the morning of Feb. 24. According to the assistant principal’s statement to police, Sanabria told him that “since it was Friday, she wanted to do something fun with her math group,” the warrant stated.
On the day of the incident, the school resource officer tried to speak to Sanabria about what happened, but was denied by the teachers union president, according to the warrant.
“Sanabria explained to the math group that she was considering offering martial arts classes after school and advised that she was trained in jiu-jitsu,” the assistant principal told police, according to the warrant.
Sanabria told the assistant principal she had “demonstrated certain moves with the class, one of them being a chokehold,” the warrant said.
When a few students offered to participate in the chokehold, Sanabria said she told the students that if they felt some pressure to tap her elbow and she would release them, according to the warrant.
Two students, ages 10 and 11, were placed in the hold before the boy passed out, the warrant stated.
She then placed another student, an 11-year-old boy, into a rear chokehold, he “failed to tap her on the elbow” and passed out, the warrant said.
Students told police they saw foam coming out of the child’s mouth, and one said they thought the boy had a seizure, according to the warrant.
“He and several other students started crying at the sight of (the child) on the floor,” the warrant said. One student described the boy as “being unconscious for several seconds.”
When police spoke to the child who went unconscious, he said that during the chokehold, “he wanted to go longer than the other students and everything went black,” the warrant stated. The boy told police he was placed on the floor and, when he woke up, he was placed into a chair, according to the warrant.
The school nurse told police she didn’t see the student unconscious. She said he appeared shaken and had elevated blood pressure when she brought him to her office. The child told the nurse his eyes had become fuzzy and he could not see, the warrant stated. Once he calmed down, she sent him to the gym with the other students, the warrant said.
Another student who was placed in the chokehold told police he couldn’t breathe and, once released, he “needed to sit down because he felt dizzy,” the warrant stated. The child, who said he had asthma, told police he sat down and placed his head between his legs to help his breathing, according to the warrant.
Later that morning, Sanabria told the assistant principal that she displayed “a lack of judgment,” the warrant stated. School officials notified the child’s mother about what happened and recommended she take him to the hospital for evaluation, the warrant stated. The incident was also reported to the state Department of Children and Families, according to the warrant.
A warrant for Sanabria’s arrest was issued last Friday and police arrested her at her Danbury home. Sanabria’s bond was set at $20,000 and she is scheduled to appear Friday in state Superior Court in Stamford.
Sanabria was hired as a math coach in August 2021, according to Morgan.
In this position, she provided instruction on math strategies and curriculum
to teachers at Brookside, according to the job description that was sent out at the time. Candidates for the position were required to have a master’s degree, a license to teach in Connecticut and five years of experience as a math coach.