News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The case of two Dodson Branch Elementary School staffers accused in an October paddling incident is set for trial in November.
15th District Attorney General Jason Lawson said the defendants, Assistant Principal Tena Lynn and Teacher Jackson Patterson appeared at their first court date earlier this week. Lawson said the defendants entered a plea of “Not Guilty.”
“The Grandy Jury, of course, is a group of citizens that review the case and decide if the charges are warranted or not warranted,” Lawson said. “And then at the conclusion of that Grand Jury process, the Grandy Judy did return the indictment for the charges that we have in this case. At that point, the case goes in front of the court for the arraignment.”
The Jackson County Criminal Court Trial is set for November 6 and 7. Lawson and his team launched the investigation after learning of the events through the Department of Children Services.
Patterson is charged with one count of assault after paddling the student twice, resulting in the student’s parents seeking medical attention. Lynn is charged with one count of criminal responsibility of assault.
Jackson County School’s policy on corporal punishment does not require staff to contact parents before administering punishment unless the student has a disability.
