A teacher at White Oaks Elementary School in Burke has been found guilty of two counts of simple assault, stemming from multiple incidents involving students.
Elizabeth Yoshimi Nagagata, 63, intends to appeal the outcome of the March 31 hearing, which resulted in a total 20-day jail sentence, according to court records.
Initially charged with seven counts of simple assault, Nagagata was acquitted on five counts by a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge. She was found guilty of offenses that occurred on Oct. 1 and Nov. 14, 2023.
A 20-day sentence was handed down for each guilty count, but they would be served concurrently. Simple assault is considered a class 1 misdemeanor, carrying a maximum of 12 months incarceration per charge in Virginia.
The case against Nagagata was initiated in April 2024 by a referral to Child Protective Services after she was allegedly seen assaulting a student at the school, the Fairfax County Police Department said.
Following an investigation, detectives determined that the special education teacher assaulted three students — all of them 4 years old — on separate occasions during the 2023-2024 academic year. She was arrested on June 12, 2024.
The alleged incidents included pulling a chair out from under a student, stomping on a child’s arm, shoving, and picking up and dropping a student, according to court documents.
Four months after Nagagata’s arrest, assistant principal Dana Chen was charged with one count of failing to report the allegations to Fairfax County police or Child Protective Services. In February, a judge found her not guilty.
Nagagata has been released on bond while her appeal is pending, according to a spokesperson from the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. She will next appear in Circuit Court on June 2.
As Nagagata’s case continues, she is one of a handful of court defendants who previously worked in Fairfax County Public Schools and are now facing criminal charges.
Richard Berkowitz, a 36-year-old gym and health teacher at Falls Church High School, was one of seven people arrested in February for alleged ties to a child exploitation operation. He will next appear in court on May 5.
John Barger, a 47-year-old music teacher at Fairview Elementary School in Fairfax Station, faces two counts of aggravated sexual battery after he was accused of sexually assaulting two students under the age of 12. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 23.
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