A staff member at Baxter Elementary School in Anchorage has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a student, police say.
Anchorage police say 31-year-old Juwan Harris was arrested Thursday after he allegedly “put his hands” on a student following a disagreement on the playground on Wednesday. A school resource officer investigated the incident after the child’s family filed a report, school officials say.
The school officer contacted Harris at his home Thursday, and he was arrested, according to police.
Police say the child wasn’t injured and didn’t require medical attention.
Police described Harris as a paraprofessional who worked for the district. He was taken to the Anchorage Correctional Complex for an assault charge, police say. Online records show that Harris is currently out on bail.
In an email, a school district spokesman said Harris is currently on administrative leave.
In an email to Baxter families, principal Doug Williams said the school and district have a zero tolerance policy for unsafe behavior by school staff.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
