LAFAYETTE, CO (KDVR/CNN) - Feb. 1 is when Angevine Middle School P.E. teacher Karen Smith was first put on administrative leave.
Almost two weeks later, the 20-year educator was charged with both child abuse and assault for allegedly forcing a student to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.
“She yanked him and pulled him up,” said one student who was in the class when it happened.
Police say Smith lifted the student by his jacket and removed him from the room.
Smith’s husband said she was not willing to answer questions about the case.
Parents have formed their own opinions.
“I think it’s beyond the pledge," Parent Manny Perez said.
“That’s not cool, you shouldn’t put your hands on a kid,” another parent Dave Martinez added. “It’s a free country, right? You should be able to do what you want, stand or sit.”
Smith is due in court Feb. 28.
The school says it will not decide on disciplinary action until the investigation is complete.
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