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A Sam Houston High School student was arrested in the alleged assault of a science teacher who told him to stop loitering and go to class.

Dennis Fischgrab, a member of the Houston Federation of Teachers, was treated for facial injuries and checked for a concussion, HFT president Gayle Fallon said.

Fischgrab found the student, 16, loitering in a hallway at the school in the 9400 block of Irvington Monday morning, said Houston Independent School District spokeswoman Adriana Villarreal.

"The student repeatedly hit the male teacher in the face and head. HISD police arrested the student," Villarreal said.

The student, a juvenile, faces a charge of Class A assault that includes a possible one-year jail sentence and a $4,000 fine as well as expulsion, she said.

"Every teacher who called today (Monday) said this kid has been disruptive before and should have been sent to an alternative school, but snapshot attendance has not been taken yet," Fallon said.

She referred to the state-required attendance count that affects school funding. That occurs Oct. 30, and disruptive students will then be dealt with more severely with suspension or expulsion, Fallon said.

Villarreal denied that, saying, "We would not sacrifice the safety of our students and teachers."

A teacher survey last year showed "chronic problems at Sam Houston" with no support from principal Roberto Gonzales, Fallon said.

"There is a high density of kids getting up in teachers' faces, swearing and threatening them," she said.

Villarreal said no previous teacher assault had been reported this year or last year at Sam Houston.

HISD spokesman Terry Abbott said the student has had minor disciplinary problems.

In August, tensions between Hispanic and black students, including several fights, prompted city and HISD police to patrol Sam Houston.

About a dozen Houston Police Department officers and a handful of HISD officers monitored the school for several days.

Chronicle reporter Robert Lopez contributed to this story.