Florida teacher hospitalised after alleged attack by five-year-old is identified

Police reports suggests attacker engaged in ‘aggravated assault’

Trisha Meadows (WSVN)

An elementary school teacher was taken to hospital last week following an alleged attack by a five-year-old in Florida, authorities have said.

A police report seen by The Independent said the Pine Lakes Elementary child was taken to an empty “cool down” room on Wednesday last week when they lashed out at the teacher.

Neither individual was named in a heavily redacted police report that was first reported by NBC News on Monday, and details so far remain limited.

On Monday, local news station WSVN identified the teacher as Trisha Meadows. The report said Ms Meadows is home from the hospital, but that she had allegedly been attacked by the student before.

Police were allegedly called to the school in Pembroke Pines last week and found the adult “clearly weak and dazed” and “slumped” against a wall, the report alleged.

The victim was however unable to “vocally respond or show signs of a response” and, according to the redacted police report, was “faint”, “dazed” and “responsive”.

The victim was then transferred to the Memorial Regional Hospital and according to the Pembroke Police Department, was released from hospital by Monday.

The incident allegedly began when the child began “throwing things around” and “flipping the chairs” in a classroom at the school, which is roughly 15 miles southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale.

While no changes have been filed against the five-year-old, the child was said to have caused “aggravated assault with hands, fist and feet”, according to the police report.

The police department told The Independent that the investigation was ongoing.

The Broward County school district meanwhile shared a statement by Pine Lakes principal Susan Sasse that informed parents of “an incident that occurred in school” last Wednesday, according to NBC News.

“At all times during the incident, our campus was secured,” Ms Sasse was reported as telling parents. “As always, the health, safety and well being of our students and staff continues to be my highest priority.”

The school district told The Independent in a statement: “The safety of our teachers, staff and students are always the District’s highest priorities. There was an incident at Pines Lakes Elementary School on Wednesday, March 2, that resulted in a teacher being transported to a local hospital. The situation was investigated by Pembroke Pines Police and handled in accordance with District protocols. Due to privacy laws, the District is not able to provide any additional information and defers to Pembroke Pines Police.”