A metro Atlanta school system is investigating after video posted on Facebook allegedly shows a teacher throwing punches during a school fight.
The video went viral after the altercation between a student and an alleged teacher was recorded at Stone Mountain High School last week.
Witnesses told 11Alive News the incident began when several students started fighting outside of the school on February 1, 2017. In the video, several teachers can be seen rushing towards the melee, trying to break it up. One of them was a man seen in the video wearing a blue button-up shirt. Witnesses identified him as a teacher at the high school.
The cell phone video starts with a shot of the parking lot in front of the school, and appears to show several students in a scuffle.
The alleged teacher comes out of the school and attempts to grab one of the shirtless fighting students as he runs by. The cell phone bans off for a second, showing the continued fight. When it pans back, the teacher is on the ground, holding onto the foot of the same shirtless students, seemingly in an effort to tackle him. The two continue to struggle as several students, another teacher and a security guard attempt to break them apart.
A man in a suit and the security guard get the shirtless student in a bear hug. Others try to separate the alleged teacher from him. When he breaks free, he turns around and swings at another student.
The Stone Mountain High school alum who posted the video on Facebook didn't want to use his real name, but his post has been widely spread. He said he was visiting a former teacher when the fight broke out in front of him.
“I was surprised, but at the same time I felt like the student deserved it. When you raise your child to be your best friend, they have no discipline and think they can hit anyone… teachers can only take so much,” he said.
A DeKalb County Schools spokesperson sent 11Alive News a statement saying they were investigating the accusations of the teacher-involved fight:
We take seriously any allegations of staff or student misconduct and, as we have done in the past, we will investigate and respond appropriately after the facts are known.
The health and safety of our students and staff are our top priorities and we will continue to be relentless in our commitment to this pledge. As this alleged incident is under investigation, it is a confidential matter.
