A high school student in North Carolina has been charged after he allegedly slapped a teacher multiple times across the face during an altercation in the school classroom.
The incident happened on April 15 inside Parkland High School in Winston-Salem when the unnamed student lashed out in rage at the teacher during an expletive-laden rant, according to a video posted on social media.
The teacher, who in the video seemed initially unfazed by the attack, responded to the student as he proceeded to goad her.
“Do you think that affected me anyway?” the teacher, whose name has not been disclosed, said to the student as she continued to sit in her chair with her legs crossed.
The student then flared up and approached the teacher again.
“Want me to hit you again,” the juvenile threatened, to which the teacher responded, “I don’t want it.”
The student then hit the teacher again from the other side across her face, knocking off her glasses.
“The [expletive] wrong with you, what you gonna do, still sit in that chair ’cause you a [expletive]. Ain’t nobody even coming, you got slapped,” says the student, seemingly singing and dancing.
“[expletive] go back to teaching.”
Other students in the classroom appeared to react with laughter to the assault on the teacher, the video showed.
The incident drew a stark response from the school district, which condemned the student’s aggressive and violent behavior.
“This behavior will not be tolerated. At no time is it acceptable for students to put their hands on a teacher in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools,” Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus said, as reported by WXII.
Ms. McManus went on to say that all necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the teacher recovers from the horrific incident.
“My focus now is on making sure that our teacher is taken care of and has the support needed to navigate through the lasting effects of this incident.”
Following the attack, the student was charged with three misdemeanor counts. On April 16, a secure custody order was issued against the student for assault on a government official.
According to Forsyth Sheriff’s Office, charges included one count of communicating threats and two counts of misdemeanor assault.
“While we all agree that this incident was deplorable and outrageous to the community, and community organizations. All of us should be outraged when those who educate us can be assaulted,” Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. said in a media release on Facebook.
“We should hold those who teach and educate our children to the highest regard. Our hope and our prayer at the FCSO is that we recognize that we as a community must bring order not only to our community but our children. We are praying for wholeness for those students who witnessed this and the educator involved.”
In addition to the criminal charges, the student will also be facing disciplinary action. According to Parkland High School Principal Noel Keener, such behavior is not tolerated and does not represent the school’s expectations of its students.
“Please know this video is not reflective of our expectations of students at Parkland High School. We are working with district staff to address this immediately and ensure behavior like this is not tolerated in our school and district.”
Following the incident, Principal Keener notified parents of the occurrence at the school.
“Our administration has started an investigation immediately in conjunction with our law enforcement partners at the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. The student involved in the video will face disciplinary action in accordance with district policies and procedures. The student may also face criminal charges.”
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said he examined the video immediately after it went viral. The DA said he was investigating the video for evidence of criminal behavior, asserting that his office has the unwavering support of the school’s teachers, according to an official statement.
“Both Sheriff Kimbrell and myself spent the morning at Parkland High School speaking with the teacher, because we want one message to be delivered today: ‘This isn’t about the color of your skin, this isn’t about your political affiliation, today is about one thing. Sending a message to the teachers out there, that law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office support you, we care about the job you do.’”
“Nobody goes to work and expects to get assaulted.”
