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GREENSBORO - A Mendenhall Middle School teacher has been charged with simple assault and communicating threats in connection with a Tuesday morning fight with another teacher at the school.

Catherine Hazelton, 40, of Greensboro, is accused of slapping another teacher in the face and telling the other teacher that she was going to stab her, according to arrest warrants on file at the Guilford County Courthouse.

According to police, the fight happened in a classroom before the school day began and other school employees stepped in to stop the fight. No students were in the classroom when the women were fighting, said Sgt. J. Heard, supervisor of the Greensboro Police Department's school resource officers.

The women were friends and the fight started over a conflict over a family member of one of the women, Heard said.

The other woman involved in the fight, Calandra McCullers Lewis of Greensboro, had noticeable bruises and lacerations on her face, according to court documents. No police officers witnessed the fight, so Lewis went to a magistrate and took out the warrants charging Hazelton, Heard said.

Hazelton did not return a phone message left Wednesday at the phone number listed on court documents. A woman who answered the phone at the number listed for McCullers Lewis declined to comment.

Hazelton was released on a written promise to appear in court. She is scheduled to be in court April 1.

Both teachers were suspended with pay Tuesday, according to Guilford County Schools.

Schools spokeswoman Haley Miller said administrators are investigating the incident and will consider punishment, including possible dismissal of the teachers.

"Guilford County Schools will not tolerate this kind of behavior from students and we will certainly not tolerate it from teachers who are expected to be role models for students," Miller said.

Contact Sonja Elmquist at 373-7090 or sonja.elmquist@news-record.com