A Bronx science teacher is facing assault charges after a student accused him of slapping her across the face during class.
Fatai Okunola, also known as Mr. O by most of his students, was arrested Thursday after the 12-year-old says he slapped her in front of other students.
Officials say the 50-year-old taught at I.S. 219-New Venture School in Claremont.
Okunola was previously reprimanded by a supervisor for using corporal punishment in 2014. In 2006, he was suspended without pay for making inappropriate comments to students and failing to perform his proctoring duties.
Some students and parents had positive things to say about Okunola, but still found the allegations troubling.
“If your kid ain’t safe here, where could he be safe at?” one parent said.
A representative with the Department of Education released a statement saying, “These troubling alleged actions are completely unacceptable. This individual has been removed from the school and reassigned away from students pending the resolution of this criminal matter.”
NYPD school safety agents are still investigating the incident and are trying to figure out what led up to the alleged slapping. They believe it may have been part of a disciplinary action.
The student was not injured.
