FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A substitute assistant teacher has been fired from the Fall River School Department after he allegedly choked a student during an altercation at Talbot Middle School.

According to the city’s police department, the school’s resource officer was alerted to a disturbance in a classroom at about 12:30 p.m. on March 8 and entered to find the 62-year-old man on the floor, “straddled across a student’s chest while both of his hands encircled the student’s neck.”

After the officer separated the two, the 12-year-old student was brought to the school nurse for evaluation and the teacher left the building.

Police said the initial reports indicated the altercation was between the teacher and another student at first. When a second student intervened, he was taken down to the floor, where he hit his head and was choked, according to police.

Police documents obtained by Eyewitness News identified the substitute teacher as Stefan Michaud.

The student’s guardian and the Department of Children and Families were notified of the incident.

“My son had marks all over his neck. You could see where he was literally choked. The red marks up,” said Nicole Brennan, mother of the alleged victim. “Slammed him to the cement floor, whacked his head off the floor, told my son – if he is to fight him back, he’ll punch him in his face.”

Michaud was summonsed to court on charges of strangulation and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Michaud, who’s referred to as a “substitute paraprofessional,” is no longer employed by the school department, having worked there since May 2013, according to Jocelyn LeMaire, Executive Director of Human Resources for Fall River Schools. LeMaire said he was called in to fill spots in schools and was paid per diem.

When it comes to hiring paraprofessionals, LeMaire said the department performs reference and background checks – which include a criminal record check and fingerprinting.

“We do a very, very thorough investigation of the employee before we bring them in,” she said.

There have been no similar incidents with the teacher in the past, according to LeMaire.

Brennan said her son is haveing horrible flashbacks from the altercation.

“He has horrible flashbacks. He sits here. He just clenches all up. He just starts building up and cries,” she said.Annie Shalvey contributed to this report.