SELMA, Ind. -- A Delaware County woman was arrested after her 9-year-old son told police she held him down and used a crayon to scratch a derogatory word onto his forehead before sending him to school.

Selma Elementary School officials called police on Tuesday when the fourth-grader showed up with the word "b**ch" written on his forehead, 6News' Rick Hightower reported.

"When little kids at school came up asking him what happened to his forehead he became embarrassed and cried," said Delaware County investigator Nancy Marvin. "That made his face red. It stood out even more, which made it worse."

The boy's mother -- Sherri A. Feuston, 30 -- when questioned about the incident, told police she was just playing around with her son. She said she sat on the boy's chest and wrote the word as they were roughhousing.

Feuston's 11-year-old and 2-year-old daughters were also in the home at the time, police said. All three children have been placed in the care of family members, police said.

Feuston was preliminarily charged with neglect of a dependent, battery and criminal confinement. She was held in the Delaware County jail on $20,000 bond. She is scheduled to be in court for a hearing on Monday.