An elementary school teacher from Fayette County is in custody after being accused of assaulting a Pre-K student, actions that were reportedly captured on a school surveillance video. Brandy Murphy, of Oakland, Tennessee, faces allegations of child abuse and simple assault following an incident at LaGrange-Moscow Elementary School.
According to Action News 5, the event transpired as a four-year-old boy was making his way to the cafeteria. Surveillance footage appears to show Murphy forcibly kneeing the student to the ground and then walking away, leaving the child in distress and crying on the floor. Witnesses recounted the boy saying, "You pushed me," to the teacher, who reportedly returned only to retrieve the water bottle the child had dropped before abandoning the scene again.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Murphy turned herself in on Tuesday and was later released on a $10,000 bond. The affidavit, as stated by Action News 5, detailed that Murphy's actions seemed "intentional and cruel in nature." The document references the video evidence showing the teacher's interaction with the student, which led to the child falling and dropping his water bottle, as reported by Local Memphis.
Chief Deputy Ray Garcia of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office characterized the incident as "unacceptable," denouncing the actions toward the child and alluding to a societal expectation of proper treatment of minors. "We live in a nation where we would expect that kind of golden rule should exist in that we should treat others the way we should expect to be treated ourselves and to do something of that nature that is assaultive toward a four-year-old is definitely that is unacceptable," Garcia told WREG in an interview. Additionally, some parents have expressed their concern to WREG, with one parent considering removing their child from the school due to Murphy's reputation for harshness with students.
As the investigation proceeds, Fayette County Public Schools has taken swift action by indefinitely suspending Murphy in accordance with Board Policy 5.200. Interim Superintendent Dr. Tameka D. Lewis has reinforced the district's dedication to maintaining a secure learning environment, stating, "Fayette County Public Schools remains steadfast in its commitment to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students," as per a report by WREG.
