Warrant: Teacher pulled child by ear at Greenville school

A teacher was charged with third-degree assault and battery, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Kathy Higgins Gilliam, 56, of Greer, grabbed and pulled a 3-year-old boy’s ear Sept. 22 at Fuller Normal School, according to an arrest warrant and the Sheriff’s Office.

The boy complained to his mother and she returned to the school with the child, said Bishop Patrick Frazier, president of Fuller Normal. Gilliam was fired after the school learned of her involvement in the incident, Frazier said.

“We do not do corporal punishment in any form,” he said.

Fuller Normal School serves children ages 3 and 4, according to its website. Gilliam worked at the school for several years, Frazier said.

Gilliam didn’t return a phone message Monday afternoon.