Philadelphia 8th Grade Student Punched Teacher In Class, Police Say

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia police say an eighth-grader attacked his science teacher during class and has been arrested.

Officer Jillian Russell says the 14-year-old was taken into custody on Monday at Leeds Middle School in Mount Airy.

School district spokesman Fernando Gallard (geye-YAHRD') says an argument broke out as the 60-year-old teacher returned an assignment to the teen. He says the confrontation escalated, and the eighth-grader began punching the teacher repeatedly.

Gallard says the teacher was treated at a hospital and released. The teacher isn't expected to immediately return to the classroom.

Gallard says state law requires the student to be charged with aggravated assault. Russell couldn't immediately confirm the charges.

Comments

[Corpilot]

12:46 PM on 02/19/2012

I'll bet the cops arrested the student without finding out who turned physical first. Teachers and staff need lessons in conflict resolution. Practicing basic conflict resolution techniques would resolve the vast majority of problem.

[TomTheSeal]

02:24 AM on 02/16/2012

The student should be banned PERMANENTLY from ALL publicly supported institutions of learning, including middle school, high school, colleges and universities, trade schools, and public libraries.

The situation in schools is such that a firm message needs to be sent and the law should be laid down firmly with no exceptions.

[Inga2012]

03:28 PM on 02/15/2012

I support the position of the law to have aggravated assault charges levied against this 8th grader for punching and causing bodily harm to the teacher at the Leeds Middle School in Mt. Airy.

Despicable actions of kids should be treated as a crime and they should face maximum punishment afforded by the law. This may be a case where the child will need help but whether they need help or not, the act of punching a teacher into oblivion should be punished and not pardoned.

[GlennWatson]

02:05 PM on 02/15/2012

Brave boy. At least that is what his parents are telling him right now.

[grenee17]

12:09 AM on 02/15/2012

Perfect example of lack of parental support and parenting. I canceled the Valentines Day party in my 5th grade class due to overall negative behavior. I informed my students of this well in advance so by today, they were all fine with it. The parent of one of the main students involved in this disruptive behavior, called the office to ask why I wasn't having a party. The principal informed her, it was not a requirement and that she stood by my decision. She reminded the parent that her son had just returned to school this week from a suspension. The parent said she didn't agree with it and later showed up at lunch and handed out cupcakes to the class in the cafeteria, while telling my students, "That b***ch ain't gonna stop me from giving out these cupcakes". Several of my students were appalled and didn't want a cupcake. This parent has YET to show up for a parent teacher conference or pick up her son's report card. Now do you think I'm going to be able to get her son to listen to me and my rules? This is just ONE example of the kinds of things teachers are dealing with on a daily basis.

[Fletch17C]

11:33 AM on 02/15/2012

You are fortunate to have a principal who stands by you. So many teachers get hung out to dry by wimpy administrations. Hold your ground. Good luck.

[CultivateYMinds]

01:57 PM on 02/15/2012

I am sorry to hear your story. Thank you for being a teacher, however. This all happened when Government took the rights of the parents away when "spanking" was all of a sudden brutality. Now a child can look a parent in the eye and dare the parent to lay a hand on them but the parent gets no support from anybody when the child is misbehaving.

[Autora]

06:49 PM on 02/14/2012

How can anyone comment on this without more information?

[CultivateYMinds]

02:01 PM on 02/15/2012

What more information do you need? A child should never EVER hit a teacher. I was treated unfairly by teachers but never would I think twice of striking a teacher. I much rather go tell my parents who will support me at home. I don't care if the assignment the teacher passed back to him had racist comments towards the boy. I don't care if during the argument the teacher called the boy's mom names. He shouldn't have hit the teacher because now, he is the one who looks like the trash of society that he most likely will become.

[rltballer]

02:27 PM on 02/15/2012

No more information needed. The child assaulted an adult. The child wanted to play adult, now the child can get punished like an adult.

[Kai Ferano]

06:35 PM on 02/14/2012

I was a teacher in inner-city high schools, on and off, for about 12 years. This news item doesn't surprise me at all. I'd say only about 5 percent of these physical attacks on teachers makes the news. There's a lot of verbal abuse toward teachers, too. The problem is never addressed. The attitude is, "Well, it goes with the territory."

[Vanessa Morris]

09:44 PM on 02/14/2012

FYI: Mt. Airy is not in the inner-city, and Leeds is a middle school (not high school) in a decidedly middle class neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia.

[CultivateYMinds]

02:32 PM on 02/15/2012

I think Kai Ferano was just pointing out his/her fact. I don't think she was alluding that that is the reason why students act like that.

[ken44]

03:51 PM on 02/14/2012

I can understand your outrage over this "punk" and this little "$%&$*&" hitting a 60 year old teacher...think about this, before you break an ankle coming down off your high horse...who'd have thought that our teachers were capable of committing such egregious acts of abuse? (e.g. Sandusky, Fine, LeTourneau..etc..) As a result, blind faith given to a teacher is highly unwarranted. The dynamics between these two people are unknown....on its face, what the student did is preposterous; and although I do not condone this violence at all, I am not quick to strap him to a gurney until I am aware of the necessary information.

[eva07]

06:22 PM on 02/14/2012

Oh please, there is no group of people that are perfect, and teachers are people. Out of the millions of teachers we have one or two scandals in a year.
You don't hit and older person or anybody for that matter in the face. It happened during a class so it is highly unlikely that the teacher tried sexually or otherwise abuse the kid.

[ken44]

06:28 PM on 02/14/2012

one or two scandals that you may be aware of......my point is this.....let's find out all of the details before judgment is passed.......fair enough?

[rltballer]

02:36 PM on 02/15/2012

UM, the only information we need is that the kid hit the adult teacher without provocation. The teacher didnt hit , the child did. There is no way to make it acceptable for this kid to hit this teacher unless the teacher strikes first.

[ken44]

03:30 PM on 02/15/2012

Let me paint you this hypothetical situation...your child was promised a passing grade for "favors" and after these "favors" were performed, the teacher failed your child anyway?
Let me be clear on this, I have no more knowledge on this than anyone else and this is just a hypothetical...but how would you feel and would you have a different opinion?
Before you think that this is an absurd scenario, consider what is in the news now..

[spock4777]

03:48 PM on 02/14/2012

We as humans will never learn how to use the characteristics of good and evil the right way to acquire balance.

I believe that when you apply reason and logic with good and evil you can actually have them co-exist in peace with each other and when that occurs each would lose their independent existence (which makes them good and evil to begin with) and one would acquire balance.

God has good and evil in Him, but He uses it in the manner stated above which eliminates their independent existence within Himself.

I know it's likely many Christians will disagree with me, but I'm a Christian myself and this is what I've concluded from my own personal reading of the bible.

[dgood207]

03:31 PM on 02/14/2012

Love it, so this kid's future resume will state he is a graduate of the 3rd grade. Should be lot's of job's available for that education. Stupid starts at home.

[dutchboy6804]

04:26 PM on 02/14/2012

well said .

[CROSSFIREeightyfive]

03:19 PM on 02/14/2012

Ya know folks, with as many "child preditors" out there in the class rooms. I'll wait for the
student side of it from now on. The agenda's they are forcing upon the young, go hand in
hand with the "phenom" of teachers molesting children. That same "indoctrination" is affecting
the educators as well, most of these cases are in the "now", not in the past or in my generation,
but Happening NOW, same as there changes in what/how they teach. touchy feely has gone awfully wrong. So when students act out, we should look deaper before judging.
Mindfully noting that GOD and Country are being forced out of there lives, starting in SCHOOL.
That teacher is only feeling pain for a few days, that CHILD could be DAMAGED forever.

Thank you, Good luck.

[Souxiekue]

06:48 PM on 02/14/2012

God and country being forced out of schools is NOT the fault of teachers. Teachers are required to follow a strict curriculum mandated by the federal government. When it isn't followed, teachers get fired.

As for your other conclusion...Yes, there are a few bad apples out there. There are child molesters in EVERY walk of life, dude. Every one. There are a few bad teachers that have been thrust into the news, but no one EVER hears about the thousands upon thousands of teachers that spend an extra 2 hours a day (unpaid, mind you) grading papers or coming up with special activities for their students, or the ones who spend and spend out of their own pockets to ensure their students have the school supplies that their parents are supposed to provide or to ensure that their kids have a rewarding hands on learning experience. Spend some time in a real classroom before touting to the world your misinformation.

[grenee17]

12:12 AM on 02/15/2012

Thank you souxiekue. You said it perfectly.

[grenee17]

12:11 AM on 02/15/2012

OMG, no wonder you have 0 fans.

[eariley2]

03:06 PM on 02/14/2012

Give me 15 minutes with any student and I'll tell you who you who his/her parents are. Children are made and everything is learned behavior.

[dutchboy6804]

04:29 PM on 02/14/2012

My mother used to say " show me your friends and I will tell you who you are " .

[spanshking]

05:19 PM on 02/14/2012

Bible says,"Reap What You Sow".

[readyinga]

02:45 PM on 02/14/2012

Juveniles today have NO boundaries ..Add to that the lack of Legal ramifications then you have Young adults that feel they can do anything they wish. Then as they commit the crimes that Society says they shouldnt the Criminal Justice system cant provide the corrective behavior needed to break the cycle.....We CAN send billions to Iraq and Afganistan to help them though...Its sad. that we cant take care of our own Elderly and Youth.. This Young person might be salviged if we had the funds and counsiling in place to help him or her..My opinion of course

[jonesengr]

02:42 PM on 02/14/2012

Kinda read the bottom of the article looking for where the kid left the hospital, but wait the teacher left the hospital. Now that's messed up and explaines a lot about our society. If a 14 year old attacked me like that he just became an adult in my eyes.

[PaulaP44]

02:37 PM on 02/14/2012

Charge the kid. Can't paddle him, so charge him.