Teacher Assistant Charged, Accused Of Assaulting Student In Classroom: Police

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A teacher assistant at a Loudoun County middle school was charged after he was accused of striking a student in a classroom, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office announced. Joshua Simons, a teacher assistant at Belmont Ridge Middle School in Leesburg, turned himself in to police on Monday.

School personnel told a resource officer at Belmont Ridge Middle School about the reported assault on Monday, Feb. 8. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit then began their investigation.

Investigators determined that the assault occurred inside a classroom last week. The child suffered minor injuries from the assault, police said.

Authorities have chosen not to release specific details about the child in an effort to protect their identity and privacy.

Police said that Simons was "found to be a person responsible for the victim’s care and created or inflicted, threatened to create or inflict, or allowed to be created or inflicted upon the child a physical or mental injury by other than accidental means." He faces one misdemeanor charge.

Simons was released on Monday by a magistrate on a personal recognizance bond. Authorities have not announced a court date for Simons.

Loudoun County Public Schools said they could not provide comment on the incident. However, they did note that Simons was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 8.

See also: Teacher Charged, Accused Of Spitting On A Student: Police

Child Protective Services operates a hotline for child abuse and neglect. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-552-7096. Resources are also available on their website.