Settlement in works over teacher who kicked kindergartner

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — The family of a Kansas girl who was kicked by her kindergarten teacher have reached a partial settlement. The Kansas City Star reports that lawyers for the child and her mother are seeking the court’s approval of an agreement with the former teacher, Crystal Smith. A motion filed Friday said the settlement involves a confidentiality clause. Additional claims remain pending against the Shawnee Mission School District, which suspended and then fired Smith after reviewing security footage. The video showed Smith kick a 5-year-old girl who had hidden herself in a bookshelf in the library of Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in February 2019 after other students had left the area and another employee’s back was turned.