Olga S. Najera, 52, was taken into custody on Monday in El Paso, Texas, on a warrant for an injury to a child charge, according to local police
A Texas kindergarten teacher charged in August with allegedly harming children was arrested on new allegations of slapping a five-year-old student.
Olga S. Najera, 52, was taken into custody on Monday in El Paso, Texas, on a warrant for an injury to a child charge, according to local police.
The Helen Ball Elementary School teacher was already on administrative leave from the Socorro Independent School District after her arrest for similar incidents.
‘She is a wonderful teacher who is very well liked by parents and loved by her students,’ Najera’s lawyer Mary Stillinger told the El Paso Times.
‘Before this first arrest, she never had any issues for many years. I think she is completely innocent of this.’
An investigation found that Najera allegedly hit a ‘student with an open hand,’ between July 31 and August 28, inflicting pain, police said.
Najera was teaching at Helen Ball at the time.
An investigation found that Najera allegedly hit a ‘student with an open hand’ at Helen Ball Elementary School (pictured) between July 31 and August 28, inflicting pain, police said
Najera was booked into the El Paso County Jail Downtown on a $15,000 bond.
‘This new allegation is, to my understanding, it came up after the reports of her first arrest,’ Stillinger said.
‘Unfortunately, sometimes there is an aspect of hysteria when people think something is happening and they jump to conclusions.’
Allegations came about last year, asserting that the bilingual teacher had bothered children while working at El Paso’s Myrtle Cooper Elementary School.
While she was cleared by the district and returned to work, the case was turned over to the police.
Allegations came about, last year, asserting that the bilingual teacher (left) had bothered children while working at El Paso’s Myrtle Cooper Elementary School. While she was cleared by the district and returned to work, the case was turned over to the police
And on August 9, Najera was indicted on two counts of injury to a child. She was arrested at Helen Ball Elementary.
Najera was booked into the El Paso County Jail Downtown on a $15,000 bond
In the indictment, the teacher is accused of slapping, pinching and stepping on children from August 1 to August 16.
She is accused of pinching a boy’s arm and scratching his hands, according to the indictment. Najera was said to have also slapped a girl in the face, stepped on the girl’s foot and kicked her.
She was released from jail on bond after the first arrest.
‘When dealing with very young children you have to be sure what the facts are because we all know very young children do not always describe things as clearly as adults,’ Stillinger said.
‘When there is no physical evidence, I think the Police Department is making a very serious mistake by moving so quickly on this.
‘The allegations at the prior school had been investigated thoroughly by the school and had been found without merit.’
The August case is scheduled to go to trial in April.