Missouri teacher fired after video shows her ‘clotheslining’ student
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RAYTOWN, Mo. — A Raytown educator is out of a job less than 12 hours after a viral video appears to show her hitting a student before body slamming them to the ground.
Tonight, the district said the student was uninjured. But the superintendent wasted no time handing out the pink slip to the teacher.
FOX4 has learned in just the last few hours the teacher is now under criminal investigation.
“Clotheslining, choke holding a student, that is kind of extreme…I’d be concerned, I’d be angry, I’d have questions,” said John Solomon, who has a child in the Raytown school district.
“Has this happened before? But I’d be angry that’s my initial reaction, someone getting fired is not enough.”
That’s one parent’s reaction to a video of a teacher hitting a student before that student is thrown to the ground, the educator on top of the young person.
NewsNation affiliate FOX4 does not have permission to show that video at this time, but it has caused quite a stir at Raytown High School just two days before summer school classes are set to end.
A student who was not comfortable going on camera but was in the bathroom at the time of the incident says it started after a group of girls in the restroom were told they needed to leave.
The young lady told FOX4 that some students didn’t leave. The teacher then took a picture of the students, and that’s when things escalated. The student knocked the teacher’s phone out of her hand and was then attacked.
The Superintendent of Raytown Schools, Dr. Penlope Martin-Knox released the following statement:
“The incident that transpired today at one of our high schools is not in alignment with our values and practices for our students and staff. Our environments are established to be safe and orderly for students and staff alike and situations such as this will not be tolerated. When matters like this arise, we take swift and appropriate action to bring resolution for all involved. As a result of this matter, the employee has been dismissed from the Raytown School District.”
FOX4 asked Solomon if he thought charges should be brought and he responded, “Of course, she assaulted another person.”
Police did respond to the school, when they got there, the teacher had already been dismissed from school grounds. Police do have a detective on the case, and the teacher is under investigation.