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Police: Teacher's assistant spanked special needs student with wooden spoon

Shelby police said a teacher’s assistant assaulted a student with a wooden spoon and on Wednesday the 41-year-old woman was arrested in connection to the assault.

“I'm not going to cry and be depressed,” Aleksandra Hoyle said. “I've done it enough last night.”

The teacher’s assistant worked at North Shelby School until she was accused of spanking a student with a wooden spoon. North Shelby is a school for children with special needs.

“Yes, I got frustrated,” Hoyle said. “I grabbed the spoon and I threaten him but I never touch him.”

The school district investigated and accepted Hoyle's resignation on April 1. Hoyle said she removed herself from the school but she did not spank the child with the wooden spoon -- only threatened him.

“This is what I was using sometimes with my own kids to scare them,” Hoyle said. “So yes, this was my mommy mode.”

She said she did it because the child, who is between 10 and 11 years old, was acting out and she was worried about other students.

“He was attacking these kids,” Hoyle said. “He was attacking me.”

But a woman who works with people with special needs told Eyewitness News it requires patience.

"You have to have love and passion,” Rhonda Kimble said.

But Hoyle said, “He knew exactly what he was doing.”

Hoyle plans to fight the assault charge against her. She said she'll continue to work with people with special needs.

She's facing a misdemeanor charge for assault on a handicapped child.

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