Female school worker called child UGLY then held them upside down by their feet, prosecutors say

A Texas woman has been indicted after allegedly calling a young child 'ugly' and picking them up by their feet and swinging them around. Rachel Kirspel, a 37-year-old former education aide at the Marshall Early Childhood Learning Center in Marshall, a city about 150 miles east of Dallas, was charged with injury to a child with intent of bodily injury after another employee reported the alleged incident in May.The employee said that she heard children screaming from the room Kirspel was in charge of and rushed over to investigate, according to an affidavit obtained by KTAL.Inside, she said she saw the former education aide holding a child upside down by their feet while swinging them side to side and up and down. The name, age and gender of the child were not disclosed, but according to the Marshall Early Childhood Learning Center's website, the school is a pre-kindergarten that caters to three-year-olds and four-year-olds. The employee stated that she heard Kirspel call the child 'ugly as hell,' and that she said: 'You can tell your mama didn’t raise you right,' KTAL reports.The child was screaming and crying, according to the employee, who said she shouted at Kirspel asking what she was doing. The former education aide quickly flipped the child upright and tried to play off her actions, according to the colleague. Kirspel picked the student up and attempted to play with them, but the employee told her to leave, she said, according to the outlet. Rachel Kirspel, 37, a former Texas education aide, is accused of berating a young child, holding them upside down by their feet and swinging them aroundAfter Kirspel left the room, she quit her job at the school, according to police. Shortly after accusations about Kirspel's behavior surfaced, the school released a statement that said: 'Marshall ISD has also followed all protocol in referring this incident to CPS and TEA. 'We are extremely disappointed by allegations on social media that MISD has done anything other than what is right and legal but we are proud of the swift, student-focused, and decisive response of our staff. 'Employee actions like those alleged will not be tolerated. MISD remains committed to providing a safe and caring learning environment for our students.'Days after the alleged incident, and following a brief investigation by the Marshall Police Department, Kirspel was arrested on May 18 and charged with injury to a child with intent of bodily injury, which is a third-degree felony. In a statement to police, Kirspel allegedly said she had been trying to get the students to lie down on their mats for nap time, but one of them refused and was acting rowdy, KTAL reports.In response, she put the child over her shoulder before berating them and hanging them upside down, Kirspel allegedly told police. Kirspel was booked into the Harrison County Jail on the day she was arrested but shortly posted a $50,000 bond and was released on May 20. Kirspel was an education aide at Marshall Early Childhood Learning Center (pictured), where a fellow employee allegedly caught her in the act of holding the child upside downShe was rearrested on May 22, however, after failing to report to the probation department. Kirspel was rebooked into the same jail, where she remains as of Monday, and her bond was raised to $100,000. The former education aide was indicted on July 30. Her arraignment hearing took place on August 11, according to Harrison County Court records, though it is unclear whether she entered a plea. Kirspel's pre-trial hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2026, court records show.