A high school student recently went viral after a video was posted of her in the middle of a physical altercation with her teacher.
Now she is facing criminal charges.
The student attends Heritage High School in Rockdale County and is in the 9th grade.
According to a report from Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes who was at Heritage on Friday the teacher, who has not been identified, is recovering from a broken leg.
ROCKDALE, Ga. — A Rockdale County high school student will face criminal charges after attacking her teacher inside a classroom. pic.twitter.com/WyHrDHluBa
— Mina Lo (@_minalo) January 31, 2023
Fernandes showed the video of the attack to parents at Heritage High School.
“Oh my God, punching her. Ok, is that girl in jail,” one parent responded.
Students say the girl was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center after the incident. Rockdale County School District officials say the student has been suspended from school but will be facing criminal charges.
The video shows a teenager getting in her teacher’s face before putting her hands on the teacher.
Another parent says there is never a reason for things to go this far.
“All these other kids, they should’ve gotten up and done something,” she said. “I mean why do you let them treat a teacher that way?”
Channel 2 spoke with a student who saw the entire incident. We are not identifying the student.
“It wasn’t scary, it was shocking,” he said. “She’s a pretty good teacher, but how she talks, she talks with aggression. How she talks to kids is not a proper way to talk to them.”
“What I think the problem is, is the teachers are not taking a class on how to deal with children,” his mother said. “You have to learn de-escalation techniques to help those kids versus aggravating a situation.”
School administrators say they are still investigating the attack, but say violence against staff will not be tolerated.
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Update
The teacher involved in the altercation has been identified.
WSBTV is reporting that a GoFundMe has identified her as Tiwana Turner, who has spent 27 years working in education.
During the attack, Turner was thrown to the ground.
She is currently hospitalized with knee and leg injuries and is unable to walk.
Turner’s friend, Jean Cannon, the organizer of the campaign, said Turner will not be returning to work anytime soon and will require extensive rehabilitation and therapy.
See below details:
Hi, my name is Jean Cannon, and I am raising funds for a Public School Teacher Tiwana Turner who was attacked by a student. Tiwana Turner is an English Language Arts educator, and she has taught in public education for the past 27 years. On the morning of Thursday, January 26, 2023, Ms. Turner was covering another class in lieu of her co-worker’s absence. When Ms. Turner attempted to redirect the off-task behavior of one of the students, the student proceeded to physically attack her. During the attack, Ms. Turner was thrown to the ground and sustained multiple injuries. She is currently hospitalized with knee and leg injuries, and is unable to walk. She will not be returning to work anytime soon, and she will require extensive rehabilitation and therapy.
Yesterday, her life was suddenly altered, and now she will require several mobility accommodations while she recovers. This does not include the financial strain from fees associated with her hospitalization. While she has helped so many students and families during her 27 years in education, she is now in need of help and assistance. Any donation is greatly appreciated and will go directly towards her rehabilitation and hospitalization fees.
As of Wednesday afternoon, over $7,200 of the $50,000 goal has been raised for the campaign.
On Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m., students told Fernandes the girl was taken to the juvenile detention center after the incident.
Rockdale County School District officials say the student has been suspended from school but will be facing criminal charges.
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