‘She hit my child more than five times’: Phoenix mother opens assault case against teacher

A Phoenix mother has filed an assault case against a teacher allegedly caught on camera striking her 16-year-old daughter multiple times with a wooden plank at Havenpark Secondary School. The Grade 10 student suffered tissue damage, leaving her in severe pain for almost two weeks following the incident. The teacher reportedly stopped the students returning to class and hit both the daughter and another pupil with the plank before demanding the daughter return to her original location.

When the daughter reported the incident to her form teacher, she was offered pain medication and asked if she wanted a lift home. The teacher allegedly apologized and hugged the daughter before telling her to sit quietly. The mother initially tried to resolve the matter with the school but was unable to reach the deputy principal.

She later met with the principal and the circuit manager, who confirmed that a police investigation into the assault was underway. The school's governing body denied supporting or condoning corporal punishment.