Matthews Elementary art teacher Laura Bryant hit, pushed and kicked kindergartner over thrown crayon: deputies

A South Carolina elementary school art teacher has been arrested after video allegedly captured her getting physical with a kindergarten student during class, authorities said.

Laura Bryant was employed as an art teacher at Matthews Elementary School, according to officials.

The cruelty-to-children charge follows an Aug. 31 incident inside the classroom, according to the sheriff’s incident report.

The classroom disruption began when the child threw a crayon at another student, according to the report.

The kindergartner then flipped his chair toward the floor after Bryant addressed him, the incident report states.

Investigators said classroom video shows Bryant snatching the boy by the arm hard enough that his feet slightly came off the floor, according to the report.

The teacher then moved the child to the front of the classroom, investigators said.

Bryant allegedly hit the five-year-old on the shoulder and in the face, according to the incident report.

The instructor then pushed the boy down hard enough to knock him off balance and onto the carpet, the report states.

Bryant later kicked the child’s foot before walking away, according to investigators.

Following the incident, Bryant reportedly sent a note to the child’s regular teacher stating that the boy had thrown a chair during class, according to the report. The written note made no mention of what allegedly occurred between Bryant and the child afterward, the incident report states.

The school district confirmed that Bryant is no longer employed at the school, according to district officials. The former teacher is cooperating with law enforcement, school officials said.

On Sept. 3, Bryant turned herself in to authorities, police said.

The former educator was booked on the cruelty-to-children charge, according to law enforcement records.