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According to Capt. L.T. Goldie Jr., deputy chief of staff of the West Virginia State Police, officers were dispatched to the school Tuesday after the alleged assault was witnessed by two other school employees.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, “Witnesses who observed the assault advised it was not how they are trained to deal with a disabled child who does not respond directly to requests ... they are never trained to put hands on a disabled child.�

Kanawha County Schools Communications Director Chris Williams said the alleged incident was reported to Holz administrators, who removed Summerfield from the class and notified district officials and law enforcement. Williams said KCS won’t comment further on the matter at this time.

According to the criminal complaint, the Holz principal told the responding officers the teacher was suspended with pay.

A preliminary hearing for Summerfield is scheduled for April 10.

A previous incident at Holz

This isn’t the first time a Holz teacher has been accused of assaulting students.

In 2023, Nancy Boggs, a special needs teacher, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of battery on several students after she was seen on video hitting, hair pulling, slamming a child’s head into a desk, and pulling a chair from beneath a child, causing the child to fall. She was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

The resulting lawsuit against KCS was settled for $11.75 million, which is the largest settlement against a public school system in West Virginia history.