A Kansas elementary teacher was caught on video kicking a 5-year-old girl — and could face criminal charges over the disturbing incident, according to reports. First-year teacher Crystal Smith was fired a month after whacking the kindergartner at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in Shawnee after finding the girl hiding in a library bookshelf, according to the Kansas City Star. Smith is seen on camera yanking the girl from the shelf and walking away, leaving the child lying on the floor. She then returns and kicks the girl in the back — out of sight of another teacher in the room. School officials found the surveillance footage after the girl’s mom complained the day of the Feb. 21 incident. The mom discovered red marks on her daughter’s arm. “I don’t like my teacher. She’s really mean. She hit me on my arm,” the girl told her mom, according to KCTV. Smith was placed on leave and “was never again in contact with students and was terminated as soon as the investigation was complete,” school district spokesman David Smith told the Star. She was fired March 25. “There was no question that we were going to do everything we could immediately to terminate that teacher and to look after that child,” Smith said. “No child should have to experience that.” The girl’s family is suing, claiming she tried to report the attack to several people but was ignored. The girl’s mother also claims she wasn’t notified about what happened. Attorney Dan Zmijewski, who represents the family, said the girl is traumatized and “terrified of going back to that school.” The battery was investigated by the Shawnee Police Department. Prosecutors are reviewing the criminal case.<doc-sep>A Kansas elementary school teacher appears to have kicked a 5-year-old student curled on the library floor and it was caught on video. The first-year teacher at Bluejacket Flint Elementary School in Shawnee can be seen in the video talking with another adult in the school library as other students file out. The teacher, who has been identified as Crystal Smith, is shown grabbing the girl from the bookshelf and then walking away. When she returns a short time later, Smith appears to rear back her leg and kick the child in the back. School officials found the surveillance footage after the girl’s mom complained of the Feb. 21 incident. The girl's mother, who did not want to be identified to KCTV News 5, said her child came home complaining that her teacher had hit her and she had a large, red mark on her arm, the mom said. "I don’t like my teacher. She’s really mean," the girl told her mom in an interview withKCTV News 5. "She hit me on my arm." Smith was fired on March 25, the Kansas City Star reported. And she now faces a civil suit, and possible criminal charges. 'Then the poor thing gets kicked' The mom's attorney, Dan Zmijewski told USA TODAY that the kindergartner is in therapy and the therapist advised the 5-year-old not to return to school until next year. She is enrolled in a home-based education program through the district. Zmijewski, who is pursing a civil suit, faults school officials for not contacting the mother after the incident happened since the girl went to multiple people following the attack. He said what happened in the library that day was that the kindergartner was upset because she couldn't find the picture she drew for her mother. With another girl's help she eventually finds the drawing, he said. "And she didn't calm down and the teacher told her to stay back and you can see in the video her standing there," Zmijewski said. "She got into the bookshelf to calm down and draws herself in as kids do. And then the poor thing gets kicked." School reacts, teacher terminated Shawnee Mission School District spokesman David Smith told the Kansas City Star that the officials checked for and viewed a surveillance recording. After administrators discussed the incident with the teacher, she was placed on leave and later "terminated as soon as the investigation was complete." "There was no question that we were going to do everything we could immediately to terminate that teacher and to look after that child," he said. "No child should have to experience that. It’s a horrible situation. We feel terrible about it and that person no longer works for us." The Shawnee Police Department investigated the battery against the girl. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe told the Kansas City Star his office is reviewing the criminal case. READ MORE<doc-sep>A Kansas City-area elementary school teacher has been fired and may face criminal charges after surveillance video captured her kicking a 5-year-old student who was lying on the floor. A Shawnee Mission School District spokesperson told NBC News earlier this week that Crystal Smith, a teacher at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in Shawnee, Kan., was fired about a month after the February incident. ADVERTISEMENT Video of the encounter shows the elementary school student lying in a bookshelf of a library. After coming across the student, Smith yanks the girl out of the shelf. She later can be seen kicking the student in the back as she lies on the floor. No other students or adults were captured in the video. A district spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that the student was kicked by Smith. School officials discovered the surveillance video after the student's mother said her daughter had told her a teacher hit her. The woman, who remains unidentified, said her daughter's arm was covered in red marks. Smith was put on administrative leave before being fired on March 15. The Johnson County District Attorney's Office is now reviewing the incident as a criminal case, The Kansas City Star reported. An attorney for the student's parents told NBC News that the family is also pursing a civil suit against Smith. "When parents send their children to school, they have a reasonable expectation that they will be safe, and the schools have a legal duty to maintain their safety," the attorney, Dan Zmijewski, said.<doc-sep>“I am deeply disturbed at the treatment my daughter suffered from, and at the troubling handling of the incident by school officials," the girl’s mother, who has not been named, said in a statement. “My daughter’s voice went unheard by the school, and I was never notified that anything had happened involving my child.”<doc-sep>
A Kansas elementary school teacher who was seen in a surveillance video kicking a 5-year-old student could face criminal charges. The second-year teacher, identified by a spokesman for the Shawnee Mission School District as Crystal Smith, was fired a month after the Feb. 21 incident at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City. A district spokesman confirmed Wednesday to NBC News that Smith kicked the student. The video shows the 5-year-old lying in a bookshelf in the library. Smith yanks the girl out of the shelf and walks away. She returns and kicks the child in the back out of sight of another adult in the room. School officials found the surveillance footage after the girl’s mother complained the day of the incident. The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she discovered red marks on her daughter’s arm and the girl said her teacher hit her. Smith was immediately put on administrative leave and was fired March 25, a district spokesman told NBC News. The Johnson County District Attorney's Office said it is reviewing the criminal case but declined to comment further. The girl's mother said that she is "deeply disturbed" by how her daughter was treated and that it has caused long-lasting effects. "As a parent, I trusted the school with my daughter's safety, and had I not pushed to find information on my own, the safety of all those students could still be at risk," she said. "No other family should have to experience this, and I hope school officials take meaningful action to prevent and respond to future incidents.” Dan Zmijewski, an attorney for the girl's parents, said the family is pursuing a civil suit. "When parents send their children to school, they have a reasonable expectation that they will be safe, and the schools have a legal duty to maintain their safety," Zmijewski said.