School staffer quits after being accused of assaulting 5-year-old, NC sheriff says

An elementary school employee has resigned after being accused of “shoving” a 5-year-old student multiple times on campus, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.

Diahanna Lynn Woods has been under investigation since May 19, when an assault on a student was reported at Princeville Elementary, the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 9 news release. The school is located near Tarboro, about a 70-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.

“The assault occurred during school hours and was carried out by a staff member,” the sheriff’s office said. “Due to the victim being a child, a forensic interview had to be conducted. With that interview completed now, SRO Captain Corey was able to charge Diahanna Lynn Woods with assault on a child under 12.”

Woods, 53, was arrested June 9, and released on an unsecured bond, officials said.

An arrest warrant reports Woods assaulted the 5-year-old “by shoving the victim in the chest area and pulling her by the arms multiple times.”

The Edgecombe County Public Schools says Woods “was suspended with pay on May 19, 2026, and has resigned from ECPS effective June 10.”

Princeville Elementary has just over 200 students in Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade, US News reports.