An eighth-grade social studies teacher at Turrentine Middle School in Burlington was arrested Monday for allegedly assaulting a student on school property.
Derek Kit-Son Tang, 50, Asian, male, of 2703 May Drive, Burlington, was arrested Monday on one count of misdemeanor simple assault and was taken to the Alamance County jail, where he was released on a $1,500 secured bond, according to his court file.
Alamance-Burlington school officials reported the alleged assault by Tang to the Burlington police department on Thursday, assistant police chief Josh Light said in a news release.
The alleged assault appears to be an isolated incident, according to the city’s assistant police chief. No details about the alleged victim were given.
Tang – a longtime outspoken advocate for increased county funding for ABSS – is the second Alamance-Burlington school system teacher to have been charged with allegedly assaulting a student in as many months.
Late last month, Jessica Dorothy Edwards, 26, white, female, of 185 Granite Mill Drive, Graham, was charged with four misdemeanor counts of assault on two disabled students at Andrews Elementary School, according to the Burlington police department. She was booked and released from Alamance County jail on a $15,000 secured bond, according to the Burlington police department.
Edwards, who has been employed with ABSS as a teacher in the Exceptional Children’s program since 2020, was subsequently suspended from her job. She remains employed with the school system, based on the latest personnel report that school board members voted to approve earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Tang is currently scheduled to make his first appearance in Alamance County district court on January 31.
According to ABSS’ response to an Alamance News public records request, Tang was initially hired as a substitute teacher for ABSS in August 2014 and subsequently moved into a permanent teaching position at Turrentine Middle School on August 19, 2019. His one-year contract runs through the end of June 2025.
Tang’s annual salary totals $50,682, which includes his base state-funded salary, the county-funded teaching supplement, and benefits.
ABSS officials confirmed for The Alamance News Monday afternoon that Tang was suspended from work with pay, effective Friday, December 13, pending the outcome of the investigation.
