Teacher accused of 'popping' 4-year-old in the face at school: "Teachers are there to protect him"



OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma -- An elementary school teacher is accused of hitting a four-year-old in the face. His family claims the alleged incident happened at his elementary school.

King Tullis, a Pre-K student at John Glenn Elementary School, has a very active imagination and loves to learn. His caretakers said he used to love to go to school until recently.

Last week, they got a call to come pick him up.

"I was notified that he had to come home because he was being disruptive," Dana Adams, Tullis' grandmother said.

When his mother got him, she noticed something wrong with his lip.

"You could see like, two spots on his lip where, you know, you could tell it was busted. I asked him what happened and he, you know, put his head down and he didn't say anything else after that," Keviuana Adams, Tullis' mother said.

Kids often get hurt when playing, so his family did not think much of it until a phone call from an assistant teacher.

"She said she witnessed another teacher popping King in the mouth, and when she popped him, his head slightly went back, and she asked was I notified about that. I said 'no,' and she started crying," Dana Adams said.

"I cried as well. It hurt my feelings, you know, to hear that that happened," Keviuana Adams said.

Infuriated, they said they contacted administrators.

A Western Heights Public Schools spokesperson told KFOR student safety is top priority and sent the following statement: "We are aware of the allegations. We are conducting a full investigation."

"You know, we send him to school thinking, you know, the teachers are there to protect him as well -- not to abuse him," Dana Adams said.

KFOR reached out to the school to ask about the progress of the investigation. They did not immediately hear back.