FORNEY, Texas — A substitute teacher was arrested and charged with injury to a child after an incident with a student on Friday, January 20, 2023.
FORNEY, Texas — A substitute teacher was arrested and charged with injury to a child after an incident with a student on Friday, January 20, 2023.
The substitute teacher, who was in a long-term role at Smith Intermediate, was immediately terminated, Forney Independent School District spokesperson Kristin Zastoupil tells inForney.com.
"On Friday, a substitute teacher was immediately terminated after an incident at Smith intermediate," stated Zastoupil. "We are fully cooperating with police while the investigation is ongoing."
The student was released to his parent following the incident and subsequently taken to an area hospital and treated for a fracture on his hand, the parent tells inForney.com.
The parent says administrators reviewed the surveillance video but could not determine provocation or what led to the event which, the parent says, involved the teacher allegedly grabbing the student by his neck, throwing him to the ground, and holding him there by placing her knees on his back. An administrator at the campus removed the teacher from the student's back.
The teacher was identified by Kaufman County Jail records as 51-year-old Elaine Smith. She was charged with injury to a child with intent, causes serious bodily injury. Smith was arraigned on a $75,000 bond and subsequently released Saturday after posting bond.
Sources tell inForney.com Smith is a retired law enforcement, though specific department and tenure information was not available as of press.
The Forney Independent School District is continuing to investigate the incident.