PETERBOROUGH, Ont. —  A 13-year-old boy is accused of choking a teacher while trying to remove her clothes in a classroom Wednesday.

Police said the elementary school teacher was alone in the classroom when the boy attacked her from behind shortly after 3 p.m.

She was able to free herself during the struggle and called police while the boy ran away, police said.
Superintendent of education Peter Mangold said the school board is focussed on making sure the teacher has the support she needs and that she feels comfortable and safe before returning to work.

“This can be very traumatic,” he said.

The boy is charged with sexual assault and overcoming resistance to commit an indictable offence (choking). He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

He can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.