Teacher who kicks 5-year-old gets 30 days in prison, a year's probation.
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Crystal Smith, 55, saw video videos kicking a 5-year-old girl at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission School District in February 2019.
In the video, the girl is hiding on the library shelf after other students have left. Smith pulls her out and walks away, then comes back and kicks her in the back.
According to court records, the mother of the girl had heard about the incident after school and had spoken to Smith about it but Smith had declined to hurt the girl, reportedly claiming that the child was not real and might have injured herself.
School officials watched the video after their mother contacted them. Smith was put on leave and eventually fired at the conclusion of the district inquiry, the school spokesman said.
The mother filed a federal lawsuit against Smith and the school system, alleging that her daughter's civil rights had been violated, and that the district was incompetent in recruiting, supervision, and preparation for Smith.
The school district said that 2019 was Smith's first year of teaching in the district.
Smith was also ordered to attend anger management courses, said KCTV.