Teacher, assistant principal charged in paddling of elementary school student

GAINESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Two educators in Tennessee are facing criminal charges stemming from the paddling of an elementary school student. News outlets report a Jackson County grand jury indicted a Dodson Branch Elementary School teacher last week on a charge of simple assault and an assistant principal on a charge of criminal responsibility of assault. A court clerk said both entered a plea of not guilty. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that the charges stem from an Oct. 4 incident at the school involving a student who had been paddled twice by the teacher while the assistant principal was present. The statement said the student later complained of pain and was examined at a medical facility.