Police: NLV teacher dragged 6-year-old boy across floor as punishment

A North Las Vegas physical education teacher was arrested after allegedly dragging a 6-year-old student across a classroom floor and putting him in an equipment closet.

James Manning, 47, faces three counts of child abuse in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred last month at Legacy Traditional School, near Valley Drive and La Madre Way.

On Oct. 3, the mother of a 6-year-old student noticed an abrasion on the child’s ribcage area. The child told his mom that the previous week his teacher, Manning, grabbed him by the leg and dragged him on the floor through a classroom before putting him in an equipment closet and laughing at him, according to a North Las Vegas Police Department arrest report.

The allegation was reported to the school and police opened an investigation. Police described the abrasion as about 4 to 5 inches long and similar to a carpet burn. The child told his mom he didn’t say anything at first because he was scared of getting into trouble.

A school administrator told police that this marked Manning’s first incident this school year but that last year Manning had three incidents related to student conduct. Police were unable to get details on those incident from human resources at the school, according to the report.

Witnesses told police that Manning dragged the student as a form of punishment for misbehaving in class, and according to the report, said Manning also pinned the child to a wall and struck him in the face.

When interviewed by police, Manning said he had been fired by the school and denied the allegations. He said he would sometimes be playful with students but denied dragging or striking anyone.

Police said Manning had a previous arrest in Virginia in 2022 on suspicion of assault on a family member.

Manning remained is due in court on Monday.

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com.