Miss. Girl Says Teacher Held Head Underwater

JACKSON, Miss. -- The father of an elementary student in Mississippi has filed a simple assault charge against a teacher, accusing her of holding his 8-year-old daughter’s head underwater, Jackson TV station WAPT reported.

Kaylan Owen, 8, said the incident happened Feb. 17 at Smith Elementary School in Jackson.

“I turned on the water to wash my hands and my assistant teacher, Ms. Levy, said, ‘Girl, you getting on my nerves.’ She started to put my head under the water and the water kept getting higher and higher. I couldn't breathe and I started coughing and then she held my head up from under the water and she slammed me into the file cabinet and I felt really sad,” Kaylan said.

Kaylan said Betty Levy was upset with her because she got out of her seat without permission.

Kaylan’s father, Robert Owen, said Levy apologized and the principal told him a letter of reprimand was put in Levy’s file, but Owen wants the teacher fired.

“Basically, they're giving me the runaround,” Owen said. “They said they talked to the students and none of the kids said it happened, but I spoke to one of the kids in front of her parents and she said she saw this.”

Jackson Public Schools officials said that student safety is always a top priority.

“We take all allegations seriously, and we conduct thorough investigations into all allegations. The district is following its usual procedure by conducting a thorough investigation of this allegation. Employee and student confidentiality rights prohibit us from discussing any of the specifics of the investigation,” JPS officials said in a statement.

“I just want her held accountable for what she did. If she's doing this, she might do it again to other students,” Owen said. “If I did this, my child would be taken from me, and I'm going to jail.”

JPS would not allow WAPT to speak with Levy or the school's principal.

Jackson Police Department spokesman Officer Joseph Daughtry said a judge will decide in a probable cause hearing if there is enough evidence to warrant an arrest.