Mother of student accused of child abuse
Sheriff ’s deputies arrested the mother of a Pojoaque-area elementary school student on suspicion of child abuse after school officials noticed the boy’s teeth were becoming black and rotted and his face was starting to swell, a criminal complaint says.
A Santa Fe County sheriff ’s deputy reported that at about 3 p.m. Monday, she was summoned to Pablo Roybal Elementary School, where the principal and a teacher told her they had ongoing concerns about the special-needs student’s health.
The principal at one point had planned to unenroll the boy from the school because his vaccinations weren’t up to date, the complaint stated, but the child was allowed to stay in school because a teacher took him to get the vaccinations and because the principal “felt it would be safer for his well-being to still be attending school.”
School staff had been buying food and clothing for the boy because he was “always saying he was hungry” and coming to school unbathed and in dirty clothing, the complaint said.
The deputy noted that when she
examined the boy, she could clearly see the outline of his rib cage, as well as a small spinal bruise and scratches on his back.
The boy told the deputy that he got breakfast at school and his dinner was mostly food given to him by his teachers, the complaint said.
The boy’s mother, Zia Loya, 32, of Española, told the deputy she was unemployed, lacked a vehicle and had no family or friends to help. She also told the deputy she had been trying to get the boy to a dentist but was told he needed a physical before he could receive oral surgery.
The boy was referred to the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, according to the complaint, and the boy’s teacher, who was granted temporary custody, took him to urgent care for evaluation.
Loya faces a felony count of child abuse, the complaint said.