A New Haven public school teacher has been put on administrative leave after allegedly grabbing a 9-year-old student, according to the boy's family attorney.
The incident involving a teacher and at least one student occurred on May 20 at the Roberto Clemente School, Supt. Garth Harries said in a statement.
"From the first report of this incident on May 20th, District staff took all the appropriate measures to ensure the school remained a safe space for both teachers and students," Harries said in the statement. "To be clear, this District does not condone any actions of aggression or violence exhibited by students or teachers."
The teacher, who was not named, was put on administrative leave on May 23.
Louis M. Rubano, an attorney representing the third-grader's family, told the New Haven Register he will be filing a lawsuit against the teacher.
According to Rubano, the student was serving an in-school detention when he got into a verbal altercation with the teacher. The teacher allegedly told the boy to "shut up," the attorney said.
When the boy got up to say he wanted to go to the principal's office, surveillance video shows the teacher grabbing the boy by the neck before dragging him outside and slamming him into a locker, Rubano said.
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"You never touch a student," Rubano told the paper. "It's just unbelievable that a teacher would attack a young, minor student in this fashion."
The superintendent said the teacher's status is pending the findings of the police investigation.
