AUSTIN, Texas — Termination proceedings have begun for an Austin ISD teacher who has been charged with a felony for allegedly pinning a student with a classroom door last month.
According to an affidavit, an unidentified 6-year-old student at Reilly Elementary School told their parents that a teacher had forcibly pinned them against a wall with a classroom door after lunch on Sept. 10. The child's parents then contacted the school and met with the assistant principal and police the following day.
An officer with the Austin ISD Police Department told the parents that surveillance footage confirmed the incident occurred.
The footage showed a number of students lined up in a hallway, with a classroom door opened at a 90-degree angle. The student is then seen walking up to the back side of the door, walking between the door and the wall, and leaning into the door crack.
A few seconds later, the teacher - identified as 42-year-old Luis Erasmo Resendiz Alvarado - is allegedly shown forcefully trying to open the door towards the wall at a 180-degree angle while the student is still in the door crack. Resendiz is then seen using his full body weight against the door, leaning in a slanted position in an attempt to exert full force against it to keep it open.
While opening the door, the surveillance showed Resendiz forcefully jabbing the door at least four times, implying that something may have been stuck behind it and he wanted to forcefully bypass it. During the entire process, his head and eyes were pointed toward the ground.
After several moments, Resendiz then looked up through the door's window and made eye contact with the student who was pinned.
According to the affidavit, surveillance showed that Resendiz continued exerting pressure on the door even as he was making eye contact with the student. Seconds later, he then turned his head to speak to other students in the hallway, all while maintaining force against the door.
In an interview with police on Sept. 26, Resendiz allegedly admitted that he knew the student was behind the door, telling police, "I kept ... I kept him trapped." He also admitted to having difficulty on the day of the incident day due to issues in his personal life.
Resendiz has been charged with unlawful restraint, which is a state jail felony.
In a letter sent to parents, Austin ISD confirmed that it had begun the process of firing Resendiz. He has been on administrative leave since Sept. 11.