A teacher has been arrested after police say he choked an elementary school student earlier this month.
D.C. police say an investigation and surveillance revealed that 50-year-old Jarvis Bernard Massenburg, of Bowie, Maryland, choked the student on the afternoon of Jan. 17 at Barnard Elementary School on Decatur Street NW.
Massenburg was arrested Thursday and charged with second-degree child cruelty.
The News4 I-Team found that Massenburg has been employed with D.C. Public Schools since 2004 and was a licensed teacher.
Barnard Elementary School Principal Dr. Grace Reid said in a letter to parents that Massenburg would remain on leave during the investigation.
The school has replaced his position in the fourth grade English Language Arts class.
"I want to assure you that the safety of our students is our number one priority, and we hold our educators to the highest standards. Should it be deemed necessary, a long-term substitute will be identified," Reid said in the letter.
