WENDELL -- The former principal of Carver Elementary School faces criminal charges of assaulting a student, according to authorities.

Allison Baker, 41, of 3014 Cranberry Ridge Drive in Wilson, was served Thursday with a criminal summons of assaulting a child under 12, according to Phyllis Stephens, a spokeswoman for the Wake County Sheriff's Office. Baker must appear in court to answer the misdemeanor charge.

Baker resigned as principal June 1 after having been suspended with pay May 22 for "negative interaction with a student," according to Michael Evans, a Wake County schools spokesman.

Evans had declined to say what the "negative interaction" was about, citing personnel regulations.

Sheriff's Office records show that Baker was suspended the same day that Anthony Manzo, a senior administrator for human resources in the school system, filed a complaint that a child under 12 had been assaulted at school.

Baker could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Baker had worked for Wake since August 2002. Her salary was $88,000 a year.