1/25/2015
BY JOE MALINCONICO
A ninth-grader at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson was arrested Friday and charged with assaulting a teacher in a classroom.
The attack, captured on video, shows the teen slamming the 62-year-old educator to the floor in front of other students in an effort to get his cellphone back.
City school officials confirmed that criminal charges have been filed against the student, who has been suspended from school.
Someone in the classroom recorded the assault, which officials say took place at about 1 pm on Tuesday, and the video has been posted on YouTube.
The 23-second video shows the 16-year-old with his arms wrapped around the teacher, knocking him into an empty desk. The student then wrestles the teacher across the front of the classroom before slamming him to the floor. The teen then reaches down and wrests something from the teacher before breaking away when someone in the classroom yelled: “Security.”
The district filed a complaint against the student earlier this week, a spokeswoman said, and Paterson police said they arrested him at his home on Friday.
“We took a statement from the teacher today,” said Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez. “After that, we went out and found the juvenile and arrested him.” The teenager was charged with third-degree aggravated assault, the captain said.
David Cozart, principal of operations at JFK, said the incident happened during a physics class.
He said the teacher apparently confiscated the phone — which belonged to the assailant — from another student. The principal said students are allowed to use cellphones in class for academic purposes, but staff may take the devices and return them at the end of the day if students use them for other reasons.
District officials have not revealed the name of the teacher or student. Peter Tirri, president of the Paterson Education Association, the teachers union, said the teacher has worked in the district since 2003.
“Let me say that this is a very upsetting incident and certainly one that we take seriously as the safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” said Terry Corallo, district spokeswoman.
She said the student while on suspension will receive home instruction and a disciplinary hearing will determine “an appropriate, educational placement” for the rest of the school year.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t see any other kids in the classroom help [the teacher] out,” Tirri said about the events depicted in the short video. “Maybe they were afraid. I don’t know.”
“What strikes me is that the teacher never even defended himself,” said Lee McNulty, a retired JFK teacher who has been vocal recently with criticism about violence and disorder in the high school. “That just shows how much teachers are afraid of losing their job.”
“It’s troubling that in our society today students think that inside a school they can put their hands on each other and teachers as well,” said Jonathan Hodges, a veteran school board member. “I went online trying to find this video and I found numerous videos of teachers being attacked by their students.”
In press interviews last year, McNulty called JFK a chaotic place where fights were common.
But city education officials said they have improved conditions at JFK in the past few years.
“This district has worked extremely hard to provide a safe and caring environment for our students and our staff, and we have succeeded in this area,” Corallo said in a written statement. “The superintendent feels very confident in Mr. Cozart’s leadership and knows that Mr. Cozart will continue to work aggressively to ensure that the JFK building is a safe place for teachers to teach and for students to learn.”
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BY JOE MALINCONICO
Paterson freshman charged with assault after classroom attack on teacher
A ninth-grader at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson was arrested Friday and charged with assaulting a teacher in a classroom.
The attack, captured on video, shows the teen slamming the 62-year-old educator to the floor in front of other students in an effort to get his cellphone back.
City school officials confirmed that criminal charges have been filed against the student, who has been suspended from school.
Someone in the classroom recorded the assault, which officials say took place at about 1 pm on Tuesday, and the video has been posted on YouTube.
The 23-second video shows the 16-year-old with his arms wrapped around the teacher, knocking him into an empty desk. The student then wrestles the teacher across the front of the classroom before slamming him to the floor. The teen then reaches down and wrests something from the teacher before breaking away when someone in the classroom yelled: “Security.”
The district filed a complaint against the student earlier this week, a spokeswoman said, and Paterson police said they arrested him at his home on Friday.
“We took a statement from the teacher today,” said Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez. “After that, we went out and found the juvenile and arrested him.” The teenager was charged with third-degree aggravated assault, the captain said.
David Cozart, principal of operations at JFK, said the incident happened during a physics class.
He said the teacher apparently confiscated the phone — which belonged to the assailant — from another student. The principal said students are allowed to use cellphones in class for academic purposes, but staff may take the devices and return them at the end of the day if students use them for other reasons.
District officials have not revealed the name of the teacher or student. Peter Tirri, president of the Paterson Education Association, the teachers union, said the teacher has worked in the district since 2003.
“Let me say that this is a very upsetting incident and certainly one that we take seriously as the safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” said Terry Corallo, district spokeswoman.
She said the student while on suspension will receive home instruction and a disciplinary hearing will determine “an appropriate, educational placement” for the rest of the school year.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t see any other kids in the classroom help [the teacher] out,” Tirri said about the events depicted in the short video. “Maybe they were afraid. I don’t know.”
“What strikes me is that the teacher never even defended himself,” said Lee McNulty, a retired JFK teacher who has been vocal recently with criticism about violence and disorder in the high school. “That just shows how much teachers are afraid of losing their job.”
“It’s troubling that in our society today students think that inside a school they can put their hands on each other and teachers as well,” said Jonathan Hodges, a veteran school board member. “I went online trying to find this video and I found numerous videos of teachers being attacked by their students.”
In press interviews last year, McNulty called JFK a chaotic place where fights were common.
But city education officials said they have improved conditions at JFK in the past few years.
“This district has worked extremely hard to provide a safe and caring environment for our students and our staff, and we have succeeded in this area,” Corallo said in a written statement. “The superintendent feels very confident in Mr. Cozart’s leadership and knows that Mr. Cozart will continue to work aggressively to ensure that the JFK building is a safe place for teachers to teach and for students to learn.”
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