VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach City Public Schools is investigating an allegation that a substitute teacher slapped a fourth-grade student across the face, school officials confirmed.
The fourth-grader's mother, Melina Twiddy, said it happened last week at Pembroke Meadows Elementary. She picked up her 9-year-old son from school, and said she could tell something wasn’t right.
“He wasn’t being his usual bubbly self,” Twiddy said. “It seemed like something was bothering him.”
Through tears, Twiddy said her son, Noah, told her his substitute teacher slapped him across the face.
“He is explaining it as he was sitting at his desk and they were doing an extra fun assignment on their chrome books,” Twiddy said. “He was sitting side by side with a student and the teacher had walked over and slammed the Chromebook shut and slapped him across the face.”
Twiddy immediately called the school principal and Virginia Beach Police, she said.
A spokesman for the Virginia Beach Police Department said a police officer took Twiddy's report on December 14. He said the magistrate issued a misdemeanor assault warrant for the teacher, who now has a summons to come to court.
David Schleck, a Virginia Beach School Division spokesperson gave a statement to 13News Now about the situation.
“VBCPS is aware of the allegation,” Schleck said in the statement. “It is a personnel matter that is under investigation.”
Twiddy said she hopes to talk with an attorney about what happened to her son in the classroom.
“He has not been himself, even yesterday, I had to pick him up early from school and just being upset and his sanctuary has been ruined for him,” Twiddy said. “The fact that it has happened to my 9-year-old just shocks me to the core."
Twiddy said she also took out a protective order against the teacher. 13News Now reached out to the substitute, but has not heard back.