Shaanan Josiah Burrell

Introduction

Shaanan Josiah Burrell is a former teacher at Prince William Academy, a private school in Woodbridge, Virginia, who was arrested on October 16, 2026, and charged with assault and battery after police said he assaulted a seven-year-old student in his classroom. The school terminated his employment immediately after receiving a report of the incident, and the criminal charge — a misdemeanor alleging the beating of a first- or second-grade child — is pending in Prince William County. Burrell was released on his own recognizance pending a court date.

Background Information

Burrell, 34, of Woodbridge, taught at Prince William Academy, a private school serving elementary-age students in the Prince William County community. Officers responded to the school on October 14, 2026, to investigate an assault reported to have happened the previous day around 12:40 p.m., according to Prince William County police. The investigation found that the boy was assaulted by a teacher while in class, and the child reported minor injuries.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not adjudicated. Burrell faces an assault and battery charge; the accusation is that he assaulted a seven-year-old student in class. The charge is unproven, and no conviction has been entered.

The incident came to authorities two days before the arrest: police said the assault on the seven-year-old was reported to have happened on October 13 around 12:40 p.m. inside the classroom, and that responding officers’ investigation established the boy was assaulted by his teacher. The child reported minor injuries. Burrell was arrested on October 16 and charged with assault and battery.

Prince William Academy, in a statement attributed to Executive Director Guye Turner, said: “Student safety is paramount at Prince William Academy. Our child-safety standards are clear: conduct that compromises a student’s safety is prohibited and unacceptable. When we received a report concerning a staff member’s interaction with a student, we immediately terminated the individual’s employment and notified the affected family. We have cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so.” The school added that because the matter involves a student and an ongoing law-enforcement matter, it could not comment on the specific circumstances.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The consequences moved on parallel tracks: the school fired him upon receiving the report, and police charged him within days of the classroom incident. For a private school whose enrollment depends on parents’ trust in its child-safety standards, the public statement served as both reassurance and confirmation — acknowledging that a staff member’s interaction with a student had triggered termination, that the affected family had been notified, and that the institution was cooperating with the criminal investigation. Local coverage of the arrest circulated the charge alongside the school’s statement, placing the allegation before the same community whose children the school said it was protecting.

Current Status

Burrell was released on his own recognizance with a pending court date on the assault and battery charge. His employment at Prince William Academy has been terminated, and he is not affiliated with the school. The criminal case remains unresolved in Prince William County, and no plea or trial outcome appears in the available record. The child’s injuries were reported as minor.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A teaching career in Prince William County’s private-school sector is over for now: Burrell was fired before the criminal case even began, with the school’s public statement permanently attaching the termination to his name. The charge itself — assaulting a seven-year-old student in his own classroom — is the kind of accusation that forecloses future work with children regardless of the legal outcome, and his freedom pending trial comes with a scheduled day in court rather than a lesson plan.

Sources

• WJLA 7News, “Woodbridge private school teacher charged with assaulting 7-year-old student” (Kendra Mann), October 19, 2026 — source