Paducah Teacher Charged With Assault

A McNabb Elementary teacher has been charged with assault after an incident Monday afternoon involving a fifth-grade student.

According to the student, her math teacher, 55-year-old Phillip Harned of Paducah, grabbed her by the neck and pulled her to the classroom marker board. The girl reported the incident to her grandparents when she got home Monday afternoon. The girl said he did not grab her tightly enough to cut off her airway, but that it did cause pain in her neck.

Detectives with the Paducah Police Department interviewed the victim and other students. Detectives also consulted the Mcracken County Attorney's office, which recommended charging Harned with fourth-degree assault.

Harned was cited on the assault charge and issued a summons to appear in court.

When asked for a reaction, the school district provided a comment Wednesday morning from Superintendent Donald Shively, saying, "This employee is not in contact with students at this time. We will cooperate fully with the investigation by the Paducah police, and will take appropriate action based on the results of the investigation."