A teacher in Front Royal, Virginia, is facing child cruelty charges after she was accused of abusing preschoolers.
Kayla Bennett, who taught at Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School, was charged Monday with two federal counts of child cruelty and five misdemeanor counts of assault and battery.
Warren County Public Schools suspended Bennett and a teaching assistant who worked in the classroom. The teaching assistant has not been charged.
Anger and frustration poured out at a recent Warren County School Board meeting, where parents and grandparents say the school didn't notify them for days that the teacher was suspended.
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“Y'all are supposed to be protecting these kids,” one man said angrily at a recent school board meeting.
Tyler Wright’s 4 and 5-year-old children attend the preschool program at Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School.
He said he began to hear rumors in early May that his child’s teacher had been suddenly suspended.
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Wright said he wasn’t notified by a school administrator for days.
"You know, you're suspending these teachers the fourth and the fifth of May for allegations of child abuse, and you’re not calling parents until the ninth? You know, that’s kind of crazy," Wright said.
Some school board members also expressed concerns about how the case was handled.
"I'm shaking right now because I'm heartbroken and I'm furious," Warren County School Board Member Melanie Salins said during a board meeting.
The school asked Wright and other parents to talk to their kids about possible physical abuse. Wright’s children were then interviewed by sheriff’s office investigators.
"That’s when my daughter told the investigators she's been smacked in the head, possibly smacked across the face, in the back, yanked down to the ground," Wright said.
"It hit me hard enough to where I had to have another deputy come in there and kind of calm me down."
“WCPS will continue to work with the families affected by these traumatic events and make meaningful changes to ensure that something like this never happens in our community again," the school system said in a press release Monday.
Kayla Bennett’s attorney said in a statement that "she vehemently asserts her innocence."
Read the attorney's full statement below:
"Ms. Bennett has not been served with any charges, nor has she been apprised of any specifics of any charges. She is unable, at this time, to address any allegations other than to assert that any allegation of criminal wrongdoing on her part is merit-less. She vehemently asserts her innocence and asks the Community at large to respect her Constitutionally-guaranteed right to the presumption of innocence at all times until, and only if, the Commonwealth can prove any allegation beyond a reasonable doubt. She remains adamant that the Commonwealth will be unable to meet this burden and she expects a complete acquittal."
CORRECTION (12:56 p.m. June 14, 2023): An earlier version of this story said Bennett faces federal charges. The charges are in Warren County circuit court.
