MORGANTOWN — A University High School teacher said a fellow teacher grabbed her arm hard enough to sprain her elbow and that he’s been at work since the incident, making her feel unsafe.
“He assaulted me,” she said.
The Dominion Post agreed not to identify the victim.
Philip C. Bienek-Cate is charged with battery on a school employee by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.
Several witnesses saw Bienek-Cate enter the classroom with the victim and grab her arm, causing her to scream and attempt to pull away, a criminal complaint said. Students were in the classroom during the March 20 incident.
The victim said her right elbow is sprained because of the incident and additional medical assessments are still being done. She will, at a minimum, have to undergo physical therapy, she said. The criminal complaint against Bienek-Cate said the woman went to the emergency department at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital for X-rays, following the incident.
She spoke to The Dominion Post, but declined to provide additional details about what happened because of the criminal case against Bienek-Cate.
The alleged victim said she felt unsafe at school because he has been allowed to return. She said she brought her concerns to school administrators, who assured her she would be safe on school grounds, which she feels is not an appropriate response.
Monongalia County Schools Superintendent Eddie Campbell said normal disciplinary procedures are being following, but he can’t discuss specifics because of privacy concerns. All teachers are entitled to due process and allegations made against employees are investigated.
If the allegations are proven, the accused employee will be given an opportunity to respond before any disciplinary action is taken, Campbell said.
Bienek-Cate was arraigned in Monongalia County Magistrate Court on Thursday and released on personal recognizance.
