Wash. substitute teacher accused of assaulting sixth-graders

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – A substitute teacher has been arrested after allegedly shoving and verbally assaulting sixth-grade students at Trent Elementary School in eastern Washington on Thursday, reports CBS affiliate KREM.

In a press release, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office identified the substitute as 46-year-old Matthew Deryan. Officials say he was arrested on Friday and has been charged with three counts of fourth degree assault and three counts of unlawful imprisonment.

The principal sent home a letter to parents Thursday stating that a substitute teacher apparently "lost control" and "put his hands on one or more of our students."

Students told police that the teacher smelled like alcohol and verbally assaulted them. Students alleged Deryan locked them in a classroom, blocked the door and kicked them as they tried to leave, reports the station. 

"I was going up to ask him something and he like put his hands on me and pushed me back," said sixth grader Alex.

Deryan denied the incident, according to detectives.

Students also said Deryan grabbed a boy, squeezed his left arm and threw him into the classroom door. Deputies confirmed injuries on one student including fingernail scratches and red marks on the child’s shoulders.

In the letter sent home to parents, principal Frank Brou stated that the teacher was gone from campus and would not return to any East Valley schools.  A district spokesperson told KREM that because the incident is under investigation,  the substitute teacher has not yet been fired, but the man will no longer teach at any schools in the district.

The Spokesman-Review reports Deryan was arrested last month in Kootenai County and accused of drunken driving. In 2011 he pleaded guilty after he was caught altering documents in his divorce case. And during the 2009 divorce, his wife took out a restraining order against him, reports the paper.

Deryan had also been arrested for DUI in Idaho in the months leading to the alleged school incident. 

"I was really mad. I just was wondering about the district in general, wondering why a substitute like that who was intoxicated would even get into the school," said a parent.

East Valley School District Superintendent John Glenewinkel says Deryan passed a background check in June 2010 and signed forms for the past two school years saying he had not been charged with serious crimes.