Austin ISD Teacher Placed On Two-Year Probation After Throwing Trash Can At Student

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — An Austin ISD employee was placed on probation on Wednesday after admitting to having thrown a trash can at a student and causing permanent damage to the teen's face as a result, according to a published report.

The incident stems from an incident that occurred last year, according to a report in the Austin American-Statesman. Jennifer Hardison, a former teacher's aide at Small Middle School in the southwest part of the city, reportedly pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault/bodily injury.

The presiding judge in the case sentenced the educator to two years' probation along with 100 hours of community service and counseling in addition to a $200 fine, an order blocking contact with the student and a condition that not pursue employment involving children.

According to an affidavit referenced by the newspaper, Hardison flew into a rage when a male student is said to have intentionally knocked the teacher's drink from atop her desk and into a trash can. A witness said Hardison then threw a plastic trash can with 12-foot-by-14-foot dimensions, striking the 13-year-old in the face and causing injury.

The boy is said to have sustained a damaged tooth as a result of the trash can hurling, along with a diagonal scratch of three to four inches stretching from his upper lip to the right cheek area as outlined in the Statesman-referenced affidavit. During the hearing, a victim's advocate read a letter conveying that the boy now has a crown on the affected tooth, a permanent scar on his upper lip — injuries that kept him from school for nearly a month, the report states.

Hardison surrendered her teaching license as a result of the incident.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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