A former teacher at Pace Academy was arrested this week on two felony counts of sexual battery.

Marshall Lopez, 33, has been fired by Pace, the private school in Buckhead said in a statement.

Lopez spanked a teenage student on her buttocks with his bare hands on three occasions in his classroom during the prior school year, according to an arrest warrant.

Lopez told the student he felt like she was underperforming in his class, the warrant says. In one instance, the warrant says he pulled down her pants and struck her above her underwear.

The student initially did not discuss what she said happened because she was scared, and she began skipping his classes, according to an Atlanta police arrest report. School officials eventually learned about the allegations and investigated, accordin

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