Days after a Princeville Elementary School staff member was charged with assaulting a student, that student’s family is warning others to look for signs of abuse.
Ideshia Chance said she noticed changes in her daughter, Isabelle Chance, shortly after transferring to the school at the start of the new year.
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“When she first started Kindergarten, she would love going to school," Chance said. "Then she was coming home with the attitude. She was talking back and I saw a big change. I thought it was just the kids who was hanging around her.”
On May 19, Chance said she got a phone call from Princeville Elementary’s principal telling her about an incident that happened during the school day with her daughter’s teacher. She thought it was a minor disciplinary issue until she got to the district office. Chance said there, the principal showed her surveillance video from inside the school cafeteria.
“When I looked at the video the teacher was in her face, yelling at her so bad she made [my daughter] drop her sandwich. She picked it up and tried to put it back in her mouth to eat it and [the teacher] was yelling, tugging at her, trying to make her throw it away,” Chance continued.
Chance said this exchange happened for a few minutes before her daughter finally threw away the sandwich.
“[My daughter] starts breaking down, crying. The teacher got in her face and made direct eye contact, basically saying you’re going to look at me and [my daughter] won’t [look at her],” Chance said. “And the teacher started caressing her face and playing with her hair and it was just weird.”
Chance requested her daughter join the interview with WRAL. When asked how she felt about the incident with her teacher, Isabelle Chance drew a sad face on a piece of paper.
Ideshia Chance requested a copy of the surveillance video but the district declined to give it to her. WRAL News also asked to see the video. The district declined citing the pending investigation.
Diahanna Lynn Woods was charged with assault on a student and resigned from the school on Tuesday.
Arrest warrants said Woods shoved a 5-year-old girl in the chest and pulled her up by the arms multiple times.
The district said she had previously been suspended with pay since the incident happened.
The family is shaken by what happened. The student’s grandmother, Christine Lynn, said they’ve been trying to talk her through it.
“I don’t know how long this has been going on but she really thought it was okay for a teacher to do that to her,” Lynn said. “We really had to sit down and talk to her.”
They plan to put the student into counseling and to transfer schools next year.
“I want awareness for parents to just talk to your kids more,” Chance said. “It’s not right. No parent, no child should go to kindergarten and worry that another person is going to scream at or jerk the child up.”
Chance also has concerns about whether Woods may have been involved in other similar incidents.
The Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office told WRAL News no other cases have been reported or uncovered during their investigation. Detective Shavon Shaw said this is not the only case of assault by staff inside a school this year. The Sheriff's Office said the Edgecombe County Public School staff always supports investigations at schools.
"One thing I like to talk to parents about is sometimes I like for them to be nosy when it comes to their child. When they get home, ask questions. If something seems off, especially if it's a child that's always laughing, playing and they come home and they're quiet," Shaw said. "Figure out if they're having fun at school. What's their favorite subject? Who's their favorite teacher? I something going on they don't like? Have them express that."
Edgecombe County Public Schools said Woods was employed with the district from September 15, 2025 through June 10, 2026 as a Kindergarten Teacher.
WRAL News attempted to reach Woods for comment. We have not heard back as of Thursday evening.
Woods is out on bond awaiting a court appearance on July 2.