A Huntsville City School teacher won’t be present on campus for the start of the school year, according to school officials, after questions arose regarding her background.

According to a statement from Hampton Cove Middle School Principal Kris Martinez, the system is “aware of concerns involving a special education teacher currently assigned to our school.

“These concerns stem from an incident that occurred in 2017, prior to the individual’s employment with HCS. The employee joined the district in 2020 and passed the required Alabama State Department of Education background check as part of the hiring process,” Martinez said.

Hampton Cove Middle did not name the teacher in question. However, parents and multiple reports have identified the special education teacher as Brandy Taylor. Taylor was arrested in December 2017 for a domestic violence charge in Marshall County, according to court records.

According to the school’s website, Taylor is a special education teacher with 24 years of experience in collaborative education.

Court records report that in 2017 she allegedly hit, punched, and bit a child before beating him with a belt. The incident did not happen in school.

Taylor spent 30 days in jail in 2018 after her arrest for third-degree domestic violence assault. Court records show that a jury trial was scheduled for two years until Taylor ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge in November 2020. She was on probation for two years.

Taylor joined the school in 2020 and passed the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) background check. Efforts to reach Taylor were unsuccessful, and it is unclear if she is represented by an attorney.

Internal personnel review underway

Martinez said the employee will not be present on the Hampton Cove campus or any other Huntsville City Schools campus “during an internal personnel review” and will have no contact with students during this time.

“HCS is committed to conducting a thorough review of the matter. As a result, affected students will be assigned a substitute teacher while this matter is resolved,” Martinez added.

“We ask our families and community for their understanding as we allow the internal process to proceed. We remain committed to student safety and will provide updates as appropriate.”