A Tennessee elementary school teacher has been arrested and charged with assault after allegedly dragging a 9-year-old nonverbal student across a classroom rug, causing visible injuries to the child.
Meg Day, 49, was booked into McNairy County jail on Thursday following an investigation into the March 19 incident at Selmer Elementary School in Selmer, Tennessee, a small city approximately 100 miles east of Memphis.
According to law enforcement records, deputies were dispatched to the school after two witnesses reported that an employee had attacked a child. The witnesses told investigators they observed Day grabbing the nonverbal 9-year-old boy by the lower half of his body and dragging him across a rug in the classroom.
Another school employee who witnessed the incident reported seeing the student reaching for his back following the alleged assault. Upon examination, the witness identified what was described as a blood red mark on the child’s back.
The school nurse who examined the student determined that the child had sustained carpet burn from being dragged across the floor. Following the nurse’s assessment, both the principal and assistant principal of Selmer Elementary School were notified of the incident.
Day was arrested following the investigation and taken to the county jail, though records indicate she was subsequently released. The current status of her employment with the school district has not been disclosed.
The incident at Selmer Elementary occurred just days after another alleged assault within the McNairy County School District. On a date shortly before the March 19 incident, a 65-year-old lunch worker at Selmer Middle School was accused of striking a student.
Sequoia Ann Hively allegedly slapped a 15-year-old student on the back of the head, an incident that was reportedly captured on video surveillance. The student was examined by the school nurse following the incident and was found to have no visible injuries.
Following the middle school incident, the district superintendent informed the teen’s father that Hively would not return to the school until the situation was resolved. Hively was also arrested and subsequently released from jail.
Both Selmer Elementary and Selmer Middle School are part of the McNairy County School District. The two incidents occurring in such close proximity have raised concerns about student safety within the district.
The investigation into Day’s alleged assault of the nonverbal student remains ongoing. The specific circumstances that led to the incident have not been disclosed by authorities.
Nonverbal students often require specialized care and support in educational settings, and incidents involving vulnerable students typically receive heightened scrutiny from both law enforcement and educational authorities.
The assault charge against Day represents a serious allegation that could have significant legal consequences if she is convicted. The case highlights ongoing concerns about the protection of vulnerable students in educational environments.
Leave a Reply