Massachusetts middle school teacher placed on leave for allegedly grabbing student

A Pentucket Regional Middle School teacher was placed on leave Wednesday after allegedly grabbing a student in the hallway.

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, West Newbury Police Chief Michael Dwyer, and Middle School Principal Terry Conant sent a joint letter to parents Wednesday explaining that school administrators learned of a complaint about the teacher earlier that day.

Officials said the complaint was about an interaction between the teacher and a student in the hallway during a class changeover Tuesday afternoon. It is unclear who made the complaint.

The district began investigating the incident and contacted West Newbury police, officials said. The district’s investigation found that the teacher had allegedly “grabbed the student in an apparent violation of District policy.”

As a result, officials said, the teacher was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of both the district’s and the police department’s investigations.

“The safety and security of our students is always our paramount concern. We
understand that an incident such as this may be upsetting to students and their
caretakers,” the letter reads.

Officials declined to share further details about the incident or the teacher in the letter, citing the fact that there is an ongoing police investigation.

Pentucket Regional Middle School serves the towns of West Newbury, Groveland, and Merrimac.