Three primary school teachers have been arrested and accused of abusing special needs students, including feeding one with spicy food despite knowing they had digestive problems.

Makayla Lomax, 31, Marissa Johnson, 26, and Morgan Donahue, 21, are facing charges after police claim they neglected and abused special needs students they were responsible for.

Police said the three employees at Smyrna School District in Delaware, US, have a “pattern of troubling behaviour in a special needs elementary classroom” dating back to 2022.

It is alleged Lomax had abused children by throwing objects at students, slapping them, yelling at them, calling them names, spraying them with water, while Johnson and Donahue are alleged to have deliberately fed one student spicy food they cannot properly digest.

Police allege Johnson and Donahue on one occasion forced one special needs student with a digestive disorder to eat hot sauce and spicy Takis tortilla chips knowing it could cause harm in late 2022.

Lomax is accused of child abuse in the third degree, offensive touching, and nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She is being held under a $12,500 unsecured bond with no contact orders.

Marissa Johnson, Makayla Lomax and Morgan Donahue have been charged after allegedly abusing special needs students at a primary school in the US.

Johnson is charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and is held on a $10,000 unsecured bond while Donahue is facing one count of endangering the welfare of a child with a $500 bond.

The school said in a statement on November 6 that the three employees “have not been in the presence of our students since the district was made aware of the alleged wrongdoing”.

“Student safety is of paramount importance to the Smyrna School District.”

Authorities have not released further details regarding the investigation.