YORK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — A Grafton High School teacher has been charged with misdemeanor simple assault after another teacher at the school told administrators that a student had reported inappropriate physical contact by another faculty member at the school last week, according to the York County School Division.
Last Friday, Dec. 1, a Grafton teacher notified school administrators of the alleged inappropriate physical contact to a 14-year-old boy, according to York County Public Schools and the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office, and, due to the nature of the report, the school division notified Child Protective Services and the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office, as required by policy and law.
A spokesperson with the sheriff’s office told 10 On Your Side’s Michelle Wolf that the teacher allegedly pulled the student’s hair.
The incident is alleged to have taken place Nov. 28 at Grafton High School, and the student reported it to school officials two days later, the sheriff’s office said.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office charged the teacher, Karmon Weidlich, 59, with misdemeanor simple assault Monday. Division and school staff have been cooperating with the investigation. Weidlich has been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with school division policy.
Michelle Wolf spoke with Weidlich at her home. She told her she could not comment publicly on the allegation.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for these types of incidents to be occurring,” said division superintendent Dr. Victor Shandor in a statement. “As I shared in my remarks at the November School Board meeting, our most important responsibility as a school system is to provide safe, secure and caring environments for all students. These incidents are not reflective or our division’s core values and priorities which we expect all employees to uphold.”
Last month on Nov. 2., a 12-year-old special needs student was reportedly assaulted by an employee inside a Grafton Middle School gymnasium. A man, Warren George Hyde, 54, of Yorktown, was charged with three counts of assault and battery, one count of cruelty to a child and one count of maiming.
On Nov. 16, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office says a 6-year-old special needs student was reportedly assaulted at Mt. Vernon Elementary School by teacher Elizabeth Anne Sparr. Sparr was charged with assault and battery.
