Teacher held down and handcuffed after asking about pay
Deyshia Hargrave faces a charge of "remaining after being forbidden" following her arrest at a school board meeting in Louisiana.
Wednesday 10 January 2018 15:29, UK
Video has captured the moment a female teacher was held down and handcuffed after asking about teacher pay at a school board meeting.
English teacher Deyshia Hargrave had been questioning pay policies at Vermilion Parish School Board's meeting on Monday night in Abbeville, near New Orleans.
Footage posted by KATC-TV showed the middle school teacher obeying a city marshal's orders to leave the meeting.
The video then showed her on the floor of the hallway, screaming, as the marshal handcuffed her behind her back.
The marshal can be heard saying: "Stop resisting."
Ms Hargrave responds: "I am not, you just pushed me to the floor."
She was released from jail on bond on charges of "remaining after being forbidden" and resisting an officer, KATC reported.
The station said that she had been ruled out of order by the school board's president Anthony Fontana for asking questions during a time reserved for public comment.
Ms Hargrave had been approached by a marshal after speaking again in response to a question from the board.
It is not clear why she was handcuffed but in a video posted on YouTube by a reporter for the Abbeville Meridional, the officer can be heard telling Ms Hargrave outside the building that he had given her "many lawful orders to leave".
"And that's exactly what I was doing," she replies.
Board member Laura LeBeouf told Associated Press: "When she realised she had to get out, she picked up her purse and walked out," LeBeouf said.
"Women in this parish are not getting the same treatment."
The board's other female member Sara Duplechain said: "No reason for anyone to be treated this way.
"So far in three years, only women have been removed from board room meetings."
Superintendent Jerome Puyau has told media in southwest Louisiana that Ms Hargrave will not be prosecuted.
The Louisiana Association of Educators said in a statement: "As an organisation that advocates for the dedicated school employees of Louisiana, we firmly denounce the mistreatment of Ms Hargrave, a loving parent and dedicated teacher serving the students of Vermilion Parish."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana added: "Deyshia Hargrave's expulsion from a public meeting and subsequent arrest are unacceptable and raise serious constitutional concerns."