Texas School Aide Accused of Swinging Pre-K Student by Her Feet During Nap Time

A former East Texas school aide is facing a child injury charge after investigators said she insulted a young student, picked the child up by the feet, and swung the child upside down inside a pre-K classroom.

The incident happened May 14 at Marshall Early Childhood Center in Marshall, according to an affidavit reported by KLTV. Rachel Ann Kirspel, 37, of Marshall, was arrested May 18 and charged with injury to a child.

Marshall ISD said the aide was removed, investigated, and terminated after the district learned about the allegations. The district also said the case was referred to Child Protective Services and the Texas Education Agency.

A coworker reported what happened

According to the affidavit, another employee was putting papers into students’ backpacks near the classroom when she allegedly heard Kirspel insulting the child.

The employee told investigators she heard Kirspel say the child was “ugly as Hell” and also made a remark about the child’s mother not raising them right, according to KLTV’s report on the affidavit.

Then the employee reportedly heard children screaming and looked into the room.

Investigators said the witness saw Kirspel holding the student upside down by the feet and swinging the child side to side and up and down. The affidavit said the child hit their head during the incident.

The witness yelled at Kirspel and told her to put the child down and leave the room, according to the affidavit. The witness also said the child was screaming and crying.

The child said school no longer felt safe

The child later spoke with Head Start Family Services and described the incident, according to investigators.

KLTV reported that the child said Kirspel pulled a nap mat from underneath them, flipped them over, grabbed them by the collar, and then picked them up by the feet while the child’s head was down. The child said their arm and head hurt afterward.

The affidavit also said the child told investigators they wanted to tell their mother they could not go back to school because it was not safe.

That detail is hard to read because the child was reportedly only about pre-K age. A nap-time classroom is supposed to be one of the calmest parts of the school day, not the setting for an incident that leaves a child scared to return.

Kirspel gave investigators a different explanation

Kirspel told investigators she had been trying to get students onto their nap mats when one child was not cooperating, according to the affidavit.

She reportedly said she picked the child up and put them over her shoulder, then held the child upside down when that did not work. Kirspel said the child started crying, and other employees came into the room and told her to leave, according to KLTV.

That explanation did not stop the case from moving forward. Kirspel was booked into the Harrison County Jail after her arrest and charged with injury to a child.

Us Weekly reported that it was not immediately clear whether Kirspel had entered a plea or retained an attorney after the arrest.

Marshall ISD said the aide was fired

Marshall ISD Superintendent Richele Langley told KLTV that the district first made sure the student was safe after learning about the incident.

Langley said the aide was “immediately removed without the ability to return,” investigated, and terminated. The district also said it followed protocol by referring the incident to CPS and TEA.

The superintendent said the district was committed to a safe and caring learning environment and that employee actions like the ones alleged would not be tolerated.

For parents, that response matters, but it does not erase how alarming the accusation is. Young children cannot always explain clearly what happened to them, which makes witnesses, reporting procedures, and fast action especially important in school settings.

The case drew attention because of the child’s age

Stories involving school employees and young children tend to spread quickly, especially when the allegations involve a pre-K student.

In this case, the details in the affidavit are what made the story stand out: the child was reportedly insulted, picked up by the feet, swung upside down, and left crying. The witness account, the child’s own statement, and the district’s termination decision all turned a classroom incident into a criminal case.

Kirspel is still entitled to the legal process, and the charge is an allegation unless proven in court. But the district has already said she is no longer employed there, and investigators have laid out the claims in a sworn affidavit.

For Marshall families, the case is the kind of school story that hits hard because it involves one of the youngest students in the building. A child went to school expecting a normal day, and police say nap time ended with an injury investigation and an aide out of a job.