STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina teacher is accused of putting a disabled student in a trash can.

News outlets report 51-year-old Robin Johnson was arrested Thursday on charges of misdemeanor assault on a disabled person. Iredell County deputies say a therapist reported the allegations after speaking with children who accused Johnson of putting them in trash or recycling bins during the past two school years.

A sheriff’s office statement says evidence indicates that Johnson put a disabled Cloverleaf Elementary student in a trash can at least twice.

The Iredell-Statesville School District says Johnson is suspended with pay pending an internal investigation. Reports say Johnson has worked for the district since 2008 in various roles at NB Mills Elementary, East Elementary, Pressly School and Cloverleaf Elementary.

She may appear in court Nov. 4.