This week, an educator in Oklahoma was taken into custody following an incident of playful behavior that resulted in a student suffering a broken bone, according to local police.
Kiera Smith, 41, faces charges of aggravated assault and battery, as reported by the Oklahoma City Police Department. The educator has faced legal issues – linked to a school matter – on one previous occasion.
An event took place on November 21 at John Marshall Enterprise Middle School, as stated in the affidavit for the arrest warrant related to the case.
On that particular day, the school resource officer, responsible for safety at the institution, received a report regarding an incident involving a student and a teacher that resulted in injuries to the student. The court document states that the injury was reportedly the result of “play fighting” in a “5th hour” science class.
A school resource officer informed law enforcement that “teachers and students were wrestling and playing around” during the reported incident.
A second incident took place with the same teacher and additional students during the 7th hour, as mentioned in the affidavit, highlighting that this event occurred in a social studies class.
A police detective conducted a follow-up. The principal supplied the investigator with many written accounts from students in the classrooms who observed the incidents, identifying Smith as the teacher involved, as stated in the court document.
According to the affidavit, the incident reportedly began when two 13-year-old students were “play fighting” with each other.
The affidavit states that the detective acquired several of those videos.
After the initial incident concluded, it is reported that an individual other than Smith “pulled students off,” and subsequently, everyone proceeded to lunch. In the second incident, the situation escalated significantly.
Authorities report that a student subsequently “notified” the teacher that “their playful altercation was still ongoing,” as stated in the affidavit. Smith reportedly grabbed the gauntlet, and the two started to engage in a playful fight as the rest of the class observed from the wall.
About 15 minutes later, the mother of the child, who is also employed at the school, discovered what had occurred with her son. She then headed to Smith’s classroom to seek assistance for the injured child.
When the boy’s mother got there, he was reportedly “still on the ground in pain and crying,” according to police. At the same time, Smith was “sitting at her desk.”
According to police, the victim ended up with a broken collarbone. The defendant reportedly attributed the incident to the injured student for coming too close and presented a story that contradicted the video evidence.
The document highlights that Smith faced arrest for sexual battery in April 2018. She subsequently entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor assault and battery charge involving a teacher.
The previous arrest reportedly involved another educator at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, as stated by the nonprofit news outlet NonDoc based in Oklahoma.
A document related to a previous encounter with police references the affected teacher. A teacher reported that Smith’s hand reached between her legs from behind, making contact with the area between her vagina and rectum.
On November 26, she was taken into custody.