FRANKLIN (AP) — A schools superintendent in Tennessee has been charged with assault in connection with an encounter with a high school student.

Franklin police said in a statement that Franklin High School staff, officers, paramedics and a student's mother were working to transport the girl to the hospital for a reported psychological emergency Tuesday when Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney "abruptly entered," grabbed the student and forced her out of the school to his vehicle.

The release says police intervened and she was taken to an emergency room for evaluation.

The Williamson County magistrate issued an arrest warrant for simple assault on Wednesday. Looney is free on $1,500 bond and due in court March 8.

District spokeswoman Carol Birdsong says multiple witnesses dispute the accusation and the charge is "without merit."