With the school year almost over, a North Texas teacher is facing a felony charge for assaulting a pre-K student. 

Linda Dueer, 73, works as a pre-kindergarten teacher in Princeton Independent School District and was allegedly caught assaulting a 4-year-old student. 

In November, Gregory and Salam Thomas were notified by Canup Early Childhood Center in Princeton that their child had been locked outside the school during recess. They were then told that there was a video they wanted to show them involving Dueer and their son. 

The video shows Dueer scolding their son and then assaulting him by swinging him into a wall and slapping him. 

“She grabbed him and swung him around, up against the wall, and said something to him. And then she slapped him, almost knocked him off his feet,” said Gregory Thomas. “I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe she did that.”

The Thomases expected Dueer to be arrested after the assault, however, Princeton police said they were never contacted about the incident until the parents contacted the department weeks later. 

After it was reported, the Princeton police referred the case to a grand jury, which indicted Dueer on a third-degree felony charge of injury to a child. Dueer was subsequently arrested and charged last week. 

Following the news of Dueer’s arrest, the Thomases filed a lawsuit against Princeton ISD accusing them of failing to report the alleged assault to police. The parents are seeking damages for their child’s suffering due to the assault and are asking the district to be more responsible about reporting crimes on school grounds.

Princeton ISD released a statement about the incident to CBS News saying, “Princeton ISD is aware of the incident and is cooperating with the Princeton Police Department as officers investigate the case. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave.”

State records show that Dueer’s teaching certificate is still valid, however, she is under investigation. 

Texas Scorecard has exposed dozens of educators charged with crimes against students and other children.

Emily Medeiros

Emily graduated from the University of Oklahoma majoring in Journalism. She is excited to use her research and writing skills to report on important issues around Texas.

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