Former Guilford County schools employee charged in child assault case

A routine stretch of the school year at Foust Elementary turned into a criminal case after a former Guilford County Schools employee was accused of striking a 7-year-old student on the head several times in a classroom serving children with exceptional needs.

Chelsea McKenzie Parker was arrested June 1 and later released on a $1,000 unsecured bond after being charged with misdemeanor assault on a child under 12. Court records show the case was filed May 29, and the offense date listed in the record is Oct. 16, 2025, meaning the allegation stems from an incident that happened months before the arrest became public. Foust Elementary is at 2610 Floyd St. in Greensboro.

An arrest warrant says Parker struck the child with an open palm several times. Guilford County Schools said Parker was a former employee who resigned May 8. The district said it became aware of the allegations before launching its own investigation and notifying law enforcement. It also said student and staff safety is its top priority, but declined to say more because the matter involves personnel.

The allegations carry particular weight at Foust because Parker had been listed on the school’s website as an assistant EC teacher. Guilford County Schools describes its Exceptional Children program as a collaborative effort that provides personalized instruction in the least restrictive environment, along with a full continuum of services for students with disabilities.

Parents say the impact reached beyond one child. Two parents said they had concerns for months and described troubling changes in children who were in the same classroom. One parent said her autistic daughter came home with bruises and changed behavior. Another parent said her autistic son regressed, became more resistant to school, and came home with scratches and bite marks. Those accounts turned the case into a larger test of how quickly warning signs were recognized and how effectively the school system responded.

The scrutiny lands in a system already under strain. Guilford County Schools has said 15.7% of enrolled students are classified as exceptional children, while state funding covers up to 13% of enrollment. That gap has fueled pressure on staffing and services, making allegations inside an EC classroom especially sensitive for families who rely on schools to provide both instruction and protection.

Under North Carolina law, assault on a child under 12 is classified as a Class A1 misdemeanor, the state’s most serious misdemeanor category. Parker’s case is scheduled for district court on July 1, as parents and district leaders face sharper questions about safeguards, reporting and accountability in one of the county’s most vulnerable classrooms.