Lawyer: Teacher 'slammed' door on child's finger

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A first grade student in Tampa may lose part of his finger after an incident in school that forced the Hillsborough County School district to pull his teacher from the classroom.

An attorney for the family of the 7-year-old boy said the child's teacher at Cahoon Elementary Magnet School slammed his fingers in a classroom door last Thursday.

The boy's father, who asked to be referred to only by his first name, Willie, to protect his son's identity, received a call from the school after the incident.

"I'm at work and I hear this call and I didn't know what to think, because all I hear is them tell me that there is an emergency," Willie said. "I'm just praying at the same time that it's not something life-threatening."

When Willie arrived, he said he was sickened by what he saw.

"His clothes are covered and his pants and his shoes were covered in blood," he said. "When I actually saw his hand, I kind of lost my cool a little bit, because I didn't expect to see it that bad."

Willie said his son's fingers are healing, but doctors worry one of the fingers could have such extensive nerve damage, the boy still may lose part of it.

Hillsborough County Schools identified the teacher as Amanda Carranza. A spokesperson for the district said Carranza is on paid leave while investigators determine if this was an accident.

Meanwhile, the family's attorney, Ryan Cappy said he believes something must have happened before the teacher "slammed" the door.

"There's got to be some reason for this and, when you slam a door or you get frustrated, you don't want to take it out, when you've got these young kids in your care," he said, adding it does not appear there was any negative interaction between the teacher and student who was hurt, prior to the incident.

Cappy said he notified the Hillsborough County School Board a lawsuit could be filed.

A district spokesperson said Carranza has been with the school since 2011 and has not had any complaints filed against her, until now.

FOX 13 tried to contact the teacher - in person and by phone - but has not heard back.