LAS VEGAS, NV — A Clark County School District special education teacher is facing criminal charges after police said she used force against two students with autism at Rex Bell Elementary School, leaving one child with a head injury that required stitches.

Police arrested Dina Fanella, a longtime Nevada educator, after school officials and witnesses gave statements about two separate incidents in late August. Court records show Fanella has pleaded not guilty and is now out of jail while the case moves toward a preliminary hearing later this fall.

Police say the first incident left a student bleeding and needing stitches

According to an arrest report, police were called to the campus on Aug. 31 after a report involving a teacher who had battered two students. The first incident was described as happening on Aug. 27, when an aide said she saw Fanella push a student after the child approached her from behind.

The aide told police the student fell, hit his head on the corner of a table and began bleeding from his forehead. She also said Fanella warned her that she would lose her job if she spoke about what happened. Fanella helped get the child to the school nurse, according to the report.

A campus security monitor said he saw the student bleeding in the classroom and heard Fanella describe the injury as a fall. The school nurse later told police the cut was about an inch long, the child was oozing blood and stitches were needed.

Witnesses described a second classroom strike the next day

Police said the second incident happened the following day and involved another student being struck on the hand. The aide said the child was trying to reach toys he was not supposed to play with when Fanella reached out, grabbed his hand and hit it with an open hand while telling him to stop.

The aide told investigators the student did not appear to have a visible injury, but he held his hand as if it hurt. She described both episodes as intentional. Police noted that she gave only a verbal statement and did not provide a written one.

Investigators also said the principal received conflicting information and that school staff did not take photographs of the injuries. The timeline in the arrest report also indicates parents or guardians were not immediately told about the alleged incidents.

School leaders and parents were later notified after conflicting accounts emerged

The principal told police the aide was the witness to the push that led to the head injury, while the campus security monitor offered a different account of what Fanella said happened. That discrepancy, investigators wrote, made it harder for administrators to determine exactly what had taken place.

Police later said they contacted both children’s mothers by phone to let them know about the incidents. The children were described in the arrest report as nonverbal and autistic, details that increased concern around the handling of the matter.

The report also says Fanella told police the first student grabbed her arm, she shook him off, and he then tripped and struck his head while running away. She denied hitting the second student and said she did not recall threatening the aide about speaking up.

Court records list three charges and strict bail conditions

Fanella faces three charges: child abuse or neglect resulting in substantial bodily harm, battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, and battery. She was taken into custody at the school on Sept. 1, according to police, and court records show she is no longer jailed.

Las Vegas Justice Court records say her bail conditions include following all directives from Child Protective Services and having no contact with minors other than her own children. She pleaded not guilty on Sept. 8, and a preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 26.

Her attorney declined to comment.

A longtime Nevada educator remains licensed and on paid leave

State licensing records show Fanella has taught in Nevada since the 2006-2007 school year and still holds a valid teaching license. Clark County School District records say she has worked for the district since March 2006 and was last assigned to Bell Elementary School.

Under the negotiated agreement with the bargaining unit, she will be placed on paid leave. District officials said Wednesday that the matter is being looked into and that they hoped to have more information by the end of the day.

The case is now moving through court as school officials review what happened and how the alleged injuries were handled inside the classroom.

What the arrest report says about the classroom response

The arrest report points to a fast-moving and confusing response after the first child was hurt. Police wrote that staff members heard different versions of events, which is one reason the timeline remained unclear when investigators began asking questions.

Officials also focused on the lack of immediate notification and the absence of photographs documenting the injuries. Those details became part of the criminal case as police tried to piece together what happened before the children’s families were contacted.

The allegations involve vulnerable students who are nonverbal and rely on adults for protection and communication. With the criminal case pending, Fanella remains on leave while court proceedings continue.

Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.