West Newbury teacher placed on leave for allegedly grabbing student in hallway, officials say

WEST NEWBURY, Mass. — A teacher at a local middle school is on paid leave after allegedly making inappropriate contact with a student on Tuesday.

Authorities say the incident happened in a hallway at the Pentucket Regional Middle School while classes were changing out Tuesday afternoon. That’s when the teacher, whose name is not being released, allegedly grabbed a student in “an apparent violation of district policy,” according to school officials.

Administrators immediately launched an investigation and also contacted the West Newbury Police Department as soon as they became aware of the allegations.

The teacher will remain on leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation as well as a police investigation.

“We understand that an incident such as this may be upsetting to students and their caretakers, and that there may be many questions in our community,” Superintendent Justin Bartholomew wrote in a statement. “The safety and security of our students is always our paramount concern. Due to the ongoing nature of the personnel matter and police investigation, we are unable to share more information at this time.”

A letter was sent home to parents, notifying them of the incident.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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