Principal Charged With Assault for Spanking 12-Year-Old School Girl in Cafeteria
A former principal at a Fairfax County middle school in Virginia is currently facing assault charges after he allegedly spanked a 12-year-old female student on her rear area.
The person in question is 53-year-old Terrence Eugene Yarborough. According to officials, as reported on ABC 7, he was removed from his position at Carl Sandburg Middle School while the incident is being investigated by its internal affairs department.
According to reports on the police statements, the young female student was with friends in the school's cafeteria when Yarborough came in. He then asked her to retrieve from the floor, but when the student refused, the principal struck her "on her buttocks," the police said. This took place last April 4.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Child Protective Services were also made aware of the incident after the student reported it to the school.
FCPS spokesman John Torre stated that Yarborough had initially been put on an administrative leave after the allegations were made. He no longer returned to the school and reportedly resigned on June 30.
Yarborough, who formerly served in the Marine Corps and had worked for schools in Fairfax County since 2005, was charged with assault and battery. Earlier this month, the former principal was issued a misdemeanor criminal summon.
He came to the police station, where the summon was served, on Monday this week, and has been scheduled to appear before the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Aug. 4.
Torre also stated the possibility of Yarborough's administrator and teaching licenses being revoked after the case concludes, adding that "FCPS is committed to ensuring that all students attend school in an environment that is respectful, safe and where they feel a high degree of trust with the staff who serve them."
In Yarborough's defense, however, he claimed the charges to be "unexpected." According to him, the said incident was "a simple playing around" interaction wherein he simply asked the student to pick up a piece of paper from the cafeteria floor.
