Charges have officially been filed after a state investigation into abuse at a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County elementary school.
Winston-Salem police have charged former teacher assistant Teresa Hazlett for one count of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of misdemeanor contributing to the neglect/delinquency of a juvenile. Investigators say she was involved in an abuse incident involving a Pre-K classroom student at Sedge Garden Elementary School.
In March 2024, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a report alleging child maltreatment and multiple childcare violations at the school. In the aftermath, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools suspended both Hazlett and principal Angela Reeves. Hazlett later resigned.
Hazlett appeared before a Magistrate and was issued a $5,000 unsecured bond. Her next court date is set for April 13, 2026.
Background
This arrest comes more than a year after concerns were first raised at Sedge Garden Elementary School. In December 2024, state officials launched an investigation into complaints about how children in the school’s Pre-K program were being treated.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services later substantiated child maltreatment and cited multiple childcare violations, downgrading the program to a Special Provisional License. According to state findings, teaching assistant Teresa Hazlett repeatedly mistreated children during naptime. NCDHHS officials said incidents included forcefully restraining children, kicking a child, covering a child’s head with a blanket, and yelling harshly at students.
The state also found that proper incident reports were not always completed and that administrators failed to report concerns as required. As a result, Hazlett was disqualified from working in childcare facilities, and both she and the school’s principal were suspended while the investigation continued.
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