Man referred to county attorney’s office for striking Walnut student

A 79-year-old lunch room monitor has been referred to the Hall County attorney's officer for striking a student.

A Grand Island police officer was called to Walnut Middle School on Tuesday after a 13-year-old boy said he had been hit on the face with an open hand between 11:18 a.m. and 12:39 p.m., said Grand Island police Capt. Pete Kortum.

The boy wasn't seriously injured, Kortum said.

Jim Werth, assistant superintendent for student services, said a lunch room attendant has been suspended pending completion of an investigation into the incident.

Werth didn't provide any information on the altercation between the attendant and the student, or what might have caused the altercation to happen in the first place.

Kortum said the officer did an investigation but the police wouldn't release details of what started the incident since the matter has been referred to the county attorney.

Werth said Don Poole, school liaison officer, is also doing an internal investigation for the school district. He said suspending an employee pending completion of an investigation is "standard operating procedure" for the school district.