ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Tuesday morning, a Delta County teacher’s aide charged with child abuse appeared in court.
54-year-old Robin Popour was fired from her job at the Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (ISD) Learning Center on December 19, 2025. She was arrested that same day, following an investigation into a situation that occurred two days earlier.
The Learning Center serves students with “moderate to severe impairments.” Popour’s coworkers told police that while attempting to make one of those students sit down, she began yelling at him. The student then made a pinching motion toward Popour, who fellow aides claim grabbed the student by the shoulder and pushed him up against a window. According to police reports, the other aides in the room say Popour “threw” the student into a chair.
One witness told police that Popour said she would slap the student’s hands if he touched her. Another witness quoted Popour as saying she did not care if she lost her job for hitting him. The next day, an ISD employee found bruises on the student’s arm.
In December, the superintendent of the ISD told WZMQ 19 that once the incident had been reported, Popour was immediately placed on administrative leave. Administrators said that Popour failed to meet “professional, safety, and conduct expectations” required of ISD staff members and acted outside of district procedures.
On September 1, the Delta County Prosecutor presented a plea offer to Popour. If Popour enters a plea of guilty or no contest, she will receive a one-year delay of sentence. She would then face an assault and battery conviction, 25 days in jail, and two years of probation. If she does not accept the offer, she must choose to either plead guilty as charged or go to trial.
Popour’s attorney requested that Popour be allowed to consider the offer overnight. The judge granted that request, scheduling Popour to appear in court again on September 2.
WZMQ 19 will continue to follow this case as it unfolds.
