Metropolitan Police have arrested a Turner Elementary School teacher and charged him with second degree cruelty to children after he allegedly squeezed a student’s arm hard enough to leave a mark.
Police said Cameron Paul Lewis, 29, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was arrested Thursday, but the incident took place Nov. 30. Police did not explain why information about the arrest was released five days later.
Court documents said Mr. Lewis called the child’s mother from the school in the Douglas neighborhood in Southeast, informing her that the 8-year-old boy was talking instead of proceeding to his next class. Mr. Lewis allegedly grabbed the third-grader with enough force to leave a handprint on his arm.
D.C. Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Lerner would not say whether Mr. Lewis is still employed with the school system.
“D.C. Public Schools takes school security and student safety very seriously. The school-based staff followed all protocols in this incident. All other requests should be referred to the Metropolitan Police Department,” Ms. Lerner said in a statement.
• Ryan M. McDermott can be reached at rmcdermott@washingtontimes.com.
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