A Macon County elementary school teacher is accused of misdemeanor assault against a student.
Derek McCaleb, 43, is a special needs teacher at Lafayette Elementary School. McCaleb was arrested on Thursday, April 9, after a Grand Jury indicted him with one count of misdemeanor assault against an 11-year-old autistic, nonverbal student. He was released on a $3,500 bond.
According to court documents, the alleged assault occurred on Jan. 8, but some community members said it was possibly in December 2025. The District Attorney鈥檚 office says the child was not injured, but District Attorney General Jason Lawson said it was 鈥渙ffensive conduct.鈥
Lawson also said the investigation remains ongoing and that a district attorney investigator may become involved.
McCaleb has been with the Macon County School System for more than 15 years, according to Macon County Schools. An attorney representing McCaleb said the DA鈥檚 office took an 鈥渦nusual step鈥 of pursuing a direct indictment on a misdemeanor allegation, bypassing a preliminary hearing.
McCaleb is scheduled to appear at an arraignment hearing on April 27.
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