Advertisement Faison kindergarten teacher held for trial on charges of assaulting 7-year-old girl with a classroom chair Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Pittsburgh Faison K-8 kindergarten teacher will stand trial on charges of aggravated assault and other counts for allegedly pinning a 7-year-old girl to her classroom floor with a chair.Danielle Anderson, 44, of Turtle Creek remains on suspension with pay following her preliminary hearing Wednesday in Pittsburgh Municipal Court.VIDEO: Watch Bob Mayo's reportThe alleged victim testified against her, as did a Pittsburgh police officer who reviewed a video of the incident.Officer Robert Synowiec told the court that the kindergarten classroom had also served as a computer room and was equipped with video recording equipment which captured the events.Synowiec testified the video showed student Tataina Summerville, 7, and another kindergarten student were squabbling over a chair, pulling it back and forth, but not fighting. He said Anderson got within inches of the child's face, then the girl pushed at the teacher.The officer testified the teacher "shoved" the girl "aggressively into the chair", then "ripped the chair out from under her," causing the girl to land on her back on the floor. He said Anderson turned the chair upside down and pressed it into the girl for two to three seconds, before throwing the chair down, so it bounced on the floor and a table within less than two feet of the two girls.The child child testified that the teacher pressed the chair into her rib cage and stomach, causing her pain and difficulty in breathing, and frightening her.District Judge Derwin Rushing held Anderson for trial on all counts, including felony charges of aggravated assault, unlawful restraint of a child and endangering the welfare of children, misdemeanor charges of simple assault and reckless endangerment."We look forward to trying this case and we're going to mount a vigorous defense," Anderson's attorney, Paul Ellis, told Pittsburgh's Action News 4. "I really feel for teachers these days. They're thrust into dangerous situations, they're assaulted by kids. I don't know where this young lady learned that it was OK to put her hands on an adult. I don't get that."Ellis asserted that the 7-year-old's shoving of Anderson amounted to aggravated assault against the teacher."I don't care what age you are, you don't have a right to put your hands on a teacher," Ellis said. He argued that Anderson had a "duty of care" that required her to intervene in the conflict between the two girls.Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Lee Goldfarb argued in court that it was "completely inappropriate for a teacher to respond in that way," and characterized as "ridiculous" Ellis' claim that the teacher was acting in self-defense, thereby negating all of the charges against her.Get the WTAE Pittsburgh's Action News 4 App