Michael Nathan

Introduction

Michael Nathan is a former English teacher at Presidential Meadows Elementary School in Manor, Texas, who was arrested on a charge of injury to a child following an incident in which he is accused of pinning a nine-year-old student against a wall by the neck . The arrest followed an investigation into an August 25 incident during afternoon dismissal, and Manor ISD confirmed that Nathan is no longer employed by the district . The case drew wider attention after the boy’s father spoke out about the family’s pain, and the family has since hired an attorney as it weighs possible legal action against the district .

Background Information

Nathan, 47, taught English at Presidential Meadows Elementary School, a campus in the Manor Independent School District near Austin . The nine-year-old boy at the center of the case was his student; according to the boy’s father, the child had interacted with Nathan regularly as a student but had never had a negative experience with him before .

The father, who asked to be identified only as Belay to protect his family’s privacy, has lived in Manor for eight years, and his son was born in the city and had never had problems at school before . According to district officials, all Manor ISD employees undergo required criminal background checks and fingerprinting as a condition of employment .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The incident occurred on August 25, 2026, at approximately 2:40 p.m. during dismissal at Presidential Meadows Elementary School. According to the arrest affidavit, Nathan grabbed the student by the backpack as the child walked past him toward the school buses, then pulled the student back into the building and pinned him against a wall, pressing his forearm across the student’s neck and chest for about 10 seconds . The student later gave a written statement to the school principal saying the encounter caused neck pain and difficulty breathing, and the incident was captured on the district’s camera system, officials said .

Allegations. Nathan has been charged with injury to a child. The account of the incident comes from an arrest affidavit and statements by school officials, and the charge has not been adjudicated. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Manor ISD placed Nathan on administrative leave as soon as it learned of the report, according to a letter sent to families by Presidential Meadows Elementary Principal Ms. Valiza . “When you send your child to school each day, you trust us to provide a safe environment and to hold the adults entrusted with their care to the highest standards,” Valiza said. “We take that responsibility seriously.” She added, “The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority” .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The boy’s father spoke publicly after the arrest, describing the family’s anguish. “As a parent, seeing our own kid be in that situation, it’s very painful,” Belay said . He said his son’s tears on August 25 were the first sign something was wrong, and that his son is now scared to go to school. “He was telling me as he was crying and very much frustrated and scared,” Belay said .

When Belay called the school to report the incident, he said the school showed him video of it happening, which he watched with his wife. “I was, you know, sad, and then I cry too,” Belay said. “Because I never expected the teacher to do that to my son” . He said his son appeared shocked and frustrated in the footage, and that the experience has shaken his sense of safety at the school his son has attended for years. Belay said, “After I saw the video, I was scared, you know, and I never expected something like that.” .

The family hired Robert Ranco, an attorney at Dang Law Group, who said he was first contacted by the family within days of the incident. Ranco said he requested to view the school’s surveillance video but had not been granted access as of his interview, and that the arrest affidavit matches what Belay described seeing in the video and what the child reported experiencing . “This is incredibly egregious,” Ranco said. He said he wants to determine what the district knew, when it knew it, and whether the incident could have been prevented. “Anybody with kids in schools in Central Texas, we all want to know that we’re sending our children off to be safe, to be educated, not to be assaulted by a 47 year old man,” Ranco said .

Superintendent Robert Sormani said in a statement that all Manor ISD employees undergo criminal background checks and fingerprinting when hired, that the district acts quickly when concerns are reported, and that it will continue to review its practices and strengthen safeguards .

Current Status

Nathan was arrested on September 4, 2026, and charged with injury to a child; Manor ISD confirmed he is no longer employed by the district . The boy will continue attending the same school for now, though Belay is still weighing what to do long term, and the family’s immediate priority is getting the child into counseling . Ranco said legal action against the district remains possible once more information is available. “We’re going to hold them accountable to the greatest degree that we can,” Ranco said. “But until we get a little deeper in, I don’t know what that approach is” .

Impact on Their Career/Life

The arrest and allegations ended Nathan’s employment with Manor ISD, removing him from the classroom at Presidential Meadows Elementary . He faces an injury-to-a-child charge that remains pending, and the family’s attorney has signaled potential legal action against the district once more information is available . The case has also put public focus on the school’s hiring and safety practices, with Belay saying he wants the district to examine how Nathan was hired and what, if anything, happened during his time at the school before the alleged assault .