LTISD special education teacher arrested, accused of assaulting 6-year-old

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A special education teacher at Bee Cave Elementary School was arrested and charged with an injury to a 6-year-old, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Court records identified that teacher as Rasid Khan Mohagheghian, 42. He was arrested on Wednesday and was released Thursday, court records show. An attorney was not listed for him at the time this article was published. We will update this if that changes.

On Oct. 29, a Lake Travis Independent School District police officer was informed of the assault, according to the affidavit.

The LTISD officer watched video and heard audio from inside the classroom, where Mohagheghian was seen walking into the classroom with the student by his arm, according to an affidavit. He then threw the student "onto the floor." When the student stood up, Mohagheghian shoved a classroom table toward the student, who had to "jump out of the way" to not get hit, court records said.

Mohagheghian then called the student "the devil" and was also heard saying, "you need to go to church, nobody likes you." He then sat in a chair by the classroom door, and when the student approached him, he grabbed the student by their "upper left chest forcefully resulting in a 'palm strike' bruise as well as fingernail marks," according to the affidavit. The student also had a torn shirt.

According to a letter sent to Bee Cave Elementary families from Superintendent of Schools Paul Norton, Mohagheghian was placed on administrative leave during the investigation conducted by LTISD police and the school district's human resources department.

Norton said in the letter that Mohagheghian "would not be returning."

"While student confidentiality and the ongoing personnel investigation prevent me from providing you with more details, please know that the alleged behavior is completely unacceptable and does not align with the District's values or our standards for professional, compassionate teaching. We remain committed to maintaining the highest level of care and oversight to ensure that every member of our LTISD family treats our students with respect and nurtures their well-being," Norton said in the letter.