YORK COUNTY, Va. — A teacher at Yorktown Elementary School, 53-year-old Stacy Ames, was arrested Friday night after reports that she assaulted a student, according to officials with the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office.
According to the school's website, Ames is a kindergarten teacher.
Sheriff Ron Montgomery said a school resource officer got an alert to head to York Elementary Friday.
Upon further investigation, the sheriff said a 5-year-old student was assaulted on more than one occasion.
"The teacher that witnessed this, saw the teacher, Ms. Ames pick the child up by the child's arms. The statement from the teacher said Ames threw the child about two to three feet. Now the child's feet left the ground and the 5-year-old landed on her feet and then fell to the ground," said Montgomery.
According to deputies, the investigation revealed that there were two separate incidents: one on March 21 and another on March 24.
Deputies said both incidents were reported to the sheriff's office and the school district on March 24.
"Last night we interviewed the child, the child's mother, the teacher that was involved and the witnesses. Based on the information that we were able to gather Friday, we charged the teacher with two counts of simple assault and battery," Montgomery said.
Ames was transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, according to deputies.
The sheriff's office said Ames was released on an unsecured bond.
Saturday, York County School Division administrators posted a message to Yorktown Elementary School families on Facebook.
The school division's superintendent, Dr. Victor Shandor, released this statement regarding the situation involving Ames:
"The York County School Division and Yorktown Elementary School are committed to providing safe, secure and caring learning environments for our students. As educators, we are entrusted with the well-being of the children in our care every day. We expect our staff to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, and any time there is a question of safety or misconduct, we immediately investigate.
The division is working closely with the Sheriff’s Office in the ongoing investigation. The staff member will not be permitted on campus while this investigation is ongoing and we will follow division policy regarding employment status.
Amber Davis, a Yorktown mother, said she was stunned a teacher is accused of assaulting a student.
"We put our trust in these people to take care of our kids while we're at work, and they're not doing what there supposed to be doing. Something needs to be done," said Davis.
WTKR did ask school officials if Ames is still employed with the school system, but officials were not able to comment on her employment status.
