A video has surfaced on social media that appears to show a Clayton County teacher punch a 14-year-old student repeatedly inside a classroom after the student threw a desk at the teacher, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The incident took place Friday at Charles Drew High School. A parent posted the cellphone video on Instagram, Channel 2 reported.
The teenager’s godmother and legal guardian, Yaquanda Lucas, told Channel 2 the teacher, who is also a football coach at the school, made fun of his stocking cap, starting the incident. She said the stocking cap belonged to his recently deceased mother.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
“He had his hat on and his stocking and he said the teacher said, ‘quit cutting up your momma's stockings and wearing them on your head,’” Lucas said. “He said (the teacher) was picking on him, trying to make the class laugh, and that made him upset.”
The video appears to show the teacher throw the student to the ground and repeatedly punch him with both hands during English class. A different video appears to show the student throw a desk in the classroom before the scuffle.
“That didn’t look like restraining him to me,” Lucas said. “It looked like you beat my child.”
Lucas showed the news station medical papers that said the teen suffered a minor concussion from the fight. She also said he had mental health issues and that district officials are aware of it.
“I don’t excuse him throwing the chair. I don’t,” Lucas said. “There’s a way to handle these kind of kids, and that’s not the way that you do it.”
Neither the teacher’s name nor the student’s name have been released since they do not face charges.
The Clayton County School District told the news station it is investigating and couldn’t comment further on the teacher’s employment status or whether the student will face disciplinary action.
In other news:
About the Author
