MIDDLEBORO — Both Middleboro Police and the Department of Children and Families are investigating an incident Thursday, Jan. 5 in which a recess/lunch monitor at Mary K. Goode Elementary School had “inappropriate physical contact’’ with a fifth grade student during lunch period, the Middleboro Schools reported Friday, Jan. 6.

The staff member faces potential assault and battery charges, Middleboro Police Chief Joseph Perkins said.

The suspect is expected to appear in Wareham District Court on Jan. 26 for a show-cause magistrate hearing. Charges will be filed if probable cause is found by the clerk at the hearing. The identity of the suspect will be released if charges are filed, police said.

“While this was an isolated incident involving one student who was not injured, the Middleboro Public Schools is taking this matter very seriously and will continue to prioritize the safety of all students and staff,’’ according to a press release issued by the schools.

The contact was not sexual in nature, the schools reported.

Counselors will be available if students wish to discuss what occurred. 

The employee was placed on unpaid leave pending the result of these investigations and has been instructed to stay off school grounds, the district reported.

Police received a call at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5 that an incident had occurred at the school, Perkins said. A preliminary investigation indicated that the fifth grader had been assaulted by a part-time cafeteria monitor.

The student was evaluated by the school nurse and the student’s parents were immediately notified of the incident, Perkins said.