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A Texas teacher has been accused of grabbing a 5-year-old student's hair and dragging her across concrete, court records show.
Jenny Alicia Dominguez, 44, hasn't been arrested yet, but she has been charged with injury to a child under 15 years old, according to KPRC 2. Her current employment status with the Houston Independent School District is unknown at this time.
The incident occurred on November 3 at Katherine Smith Elementary. Shortly before 10:45 a.m., a school employee saw Dominguez on surveillance cameras grabbing the child by the hair and left arm. The girl lost her balance and fell. The teacher then dragged her across the concrete for a short distance. She then dragged the 5-year-old student "between her legs and was seen standing over the child." The teacher dragged her by her left arm again until they reached a trash can about 30 feet away.
A witness said the incident stemmed from the student not wanting to throw a fork away in the trash. Dominguez was heard telling the student, "Lo vas a tirar (You're going to throw it away)" and "No seas chiflada (Don't be spoiled)."
As far as injuries go, the student reported her arm was "hurting" and it was "bright red with a small laceration."
Houston ISD issued the following statement Friday (November 11):
HISD takes these situations very seriously, and the safety and well-being of our students is always our absolute top priority. HISD PD was notified of an allegation of misconduct and the educator was immediately reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation. Due to the Family Education Right’s Privacy Act (FERPA) and the pending investigation, HISD will not be providing additional information at this time.