A former Eisenhower Elementary special education teacher in Crown Point faces a felony battery charge for allegedly injuring a 6-year-old autistic student on April 10.

The Crown Point Community School Corp. informed parents of the incident Thursday and said the teacher, Deborah R. Smith, 64, of Crown Point, was no longer employed at the district and hasn’t been in a classroom since April.

Smith was charged May 29 with one count of felony battery against a disabled person and one misdemeanor battery charge, according to court documents.

Her next hearing is Aug. 19 before Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas.

Smith has pleaded not guilty and denied the charges. Her lawyer, Kirk Marrie, couldn’t be immediately reached Friday.

Police began the investigation after a complaint from the boy’s mother.

A staff member told Crown Point Detective Cpl. Jeff Spicer she saw Smith lean up against the student, place both hands on his back and push his head forcefully down toward the desk.

The witness said Smith spoke in an angry voice, telling the boy, “look at your paper.”

In a second incident, a witness said Smith grabbed the back of the student’s shirt, pulled him backwards and forcefully placed him into a therapy swing in the classroom.

After the boy, who is non-verbal, got up from the swing, the witness said Smith blocked him into an area of the classroom with dividers as the boy was crying, screaming and dumping items on the floor.The boy stuck his head through the dividers and appeared to be choking, according to the witness, who said Smith laughed and pushed the boy’s head back through the divider.

The boy’s mother told police she noticed redness under her son’s left eye the day after the incidents occurred on April 10.

Police met with Smith and her attorney on May 8 and she denied the allegations and said the boy threw himself into the therapy swing.

Regarding the desk incident, Smith said the boy was rocking his head back and forth and she placed her hand on the back of his head to stop him.

In a letter, Crown Point schools said she was pulled from the classroom in April.

“(We take) our responsibility to protect and support our students seriously,” it said. “Providing your children with a safe learning environment is our number one concern.”

The district said it has communicated with parents of children in the class.

“Again, your child’s well-being is our first priority. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your building principal,” the letter said.

mcolias@post-trib.com

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.