News & Politics - Fight, fight, fight!

mh67511 · 10-23-2004, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Teacher Jailed After Brawl With Parent

Fri Oct 22, 4:59 PM ET Strange News - AP

MACON, Georgia - A teacher-parent brawl in front of 19 primary school pupils sent a mother to the emergency room and the teacher to jail.

Teacher Katrina Ann Rucker, 30, is charged with battery and cruelty to children for allegedly beating a parent who tried to retrieve her daughter's book bag, The Macon Telegraph newspaper reported Friday.

According to police interviews, parent Lurella Amica went to Bruce-Weir Elementary School Thursday morning to deliver a note to her 9-year-old daughter.

At the classroom door, the girl told her mother that Rucker had thrown her bag in the trash can, the report stated. Amica entered the classroom and tried to get the book bag, but Rucker grabbed for it and the two struggled, the report said.

After Amica wrestled the bag away, police say Rucker picked up a chair and hit her in the back, knocking Amica to the floor. Rucker then began punching Amica in the face and body.

During the fight, the girl was reportedly crying for her teacher to stop hitting her mother and ran up to them. Rucker then allegedly hit the child, pulled her hair and pushed her out of the way before starting to strike the mother again.

Rucker dragged Amica by the hair outside the classroom, according to the report.

"A school administrator and another teacher had to pull the teacher off the mother," Macon police spokeswoman Melanie Hofmann said.

In Rucker's account of the story, she said Amica hit her hand during the initial struggle, Hofmann said.

"The teacher said she was defending herself because she gets a shot in that hand and it hurt," Hofmann said.

Amica was in stable condition in the emergency room of The Medical Center of Central Georgia late Thursday night.

Rucker was placed on administrative leave.

Sylvia McGee, Bibb County's deputy superintendent, said school staff called the parent or guardian of each child in the class. Social workers counseled students, and only Amica's daughter left school early.

Principal Karen Konke sent letters to parents about the incident.

"Let me assure you the school is safe and that our students have been involved in appropriate instructional activities throughout the day," Konke wrote.

That's insane! She hit her with a CHAIR! This sounds like something straight from Jerry Spring, speaking of which, is that show still on?

LittleMilkJug · 10-23-2004, 09:51 AM

The Principal is nuts. The kids weren't safe and who employed that teacher? I see many lawsuits coming.

pacifierrocks · 10-23-2004, 07:37 PM

that is the craziest thing that i've ever heard. why did the teacher throw the backpack in the trash can anyways. that teacher needs some serious help.

mh67511 · 10-23-2004, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pacifierrocks
that is the craziest thing that i've ever heard. why did the teacher throw the backpack in the trash can anyways. that teacher needs some serious help.

I know isn't that so random? She must have gotten really pissed off at the student, but still...throwing her bookbag in the garbage?

capesidefan · 10-23-2004, 07:48 PM

wow interesting news story

Katis · 10-23-2004, 10:02 PM

They had better fire that psycho. I mean first of all for throwing the bag in the trash, then attacking the mother, and worse, the child? She needs to be locked up.

*Ledi* · 10-23-2004, 10:04 PM

wow holy crap.

Butterflyz · 10-24-2004, 07:51 AM

What the hell? I wonder why the teacher threw the bookbag out in the first place?

Cail · 10-25-2004, 06:29 AM

What the

does "administrative leave" mean?

That teacher needs to get her ass fired. If hurting another child doesn't constitute a firing, I don't know what does.

That principal is living in denial if she honestly believes that students are safe when an abusive teacher is employed at the school. Makes me wonder what other kind of shady things are going on there.

imajica · 10-26-2004, 04:44 AM

Thats crazy some people just shouldn't be allowed near kids. When I was in primary school I had a teacher who was really agressive, he used to smash blackboards, throw things out the window and if he thought your work was bad he would rip the pages out of your book, screw them up and throw them across the room. He never actually hit anyone but i can remember being terrified that he would when he was mad at me. Everyone knew but nobody ever did anything.

It really makes you wonder how many screwed up people there are out there teaching kids, many kids wouldn't speak up about things like this so it is only when an adult happens to witness it that anything is done.

AuburnGrad · 10-26-2004, 04:53 AM

As a teacher, I really am at a loss for words.

"Administrative Leave" = this teacher has tenure and we need to carefully evaluate the situation before we fire here

Absurdity at its finest in the public school system. This teacher needs to be fired ASAP, and unfortunately, there are a good number of teachers who should be removed from the classroom.

RedRockSedona · 10-26-2004, 09:39 AM

I read this and was so shokked that I went looking for any other news and appearently Katrina Ann Rucker has now been fired.

SOURCE: LINK

Quote:

Bibb County fires teacher accused in parent beating

By Karen Shugart

Telegraph Staff Writer

A Bruce-Weir Elementary School teacher was fired Monday, four days after a parent reported being beaten and dragged by the hair in front of her daughter and about 20 other fourth-graders.

Katrina Ann Rucker is off the payroll after a school system investigation, Superintendent Sharon Patterson said at an afternoon news conference.

The teacher also is banned from Bibb County school property, Patterson wrote in Rucker's termination letter.

"The School District has determined based on recent events that you are not suitable for continued employment as a teacher in the Bibb County School District," Patterson wrote.

Calling the assault an "unfortunate and isolated event," Patterson told reporters Monday the system would re-examine all schools' visitor check-in policies, step up security and provide counseling for students and staff.

"I am acting swiftly to resolve this situation that has weighed heavily on our hearts since the incident occurred," Patterson said.

A full-time campus police officer will be reassigned to Bruce-Weir, Patterson said. The school, like other Bibb elementaries, did not have an officer stationed on campus.

"We want our staff to feel safe at the school, and we know there will be residual concerns," Patterson said. "We are very genuinely concerned about this situation."

Parent Murella Amica told police she was trying to deliver a note to her daughter, Valentina Swarn, when she found her child's book bag in a trash can.

As she tried to retrieve it, she told officers, Rucker hit her with a chair and began to punch her. She also hit 9-year-old Valentina, the girl's mother told police.

The assault landed Amica in an emergency room with an array of injuries, including a broken nose.

Valentina's father, Robert Swarn, said the firing was long overdue.

"It's probably a decision they should have made a while back," Swarn said.

He said the girl's parents had gone to the school several times to complain about Rucker.

Patterson said Rucker had experienced "differences of opinions" with parents, but she did not have specifics.

Rucker, 30, could not be reached for comment.

She does not have a listed phone number and did not answer her door Monday.

Rucker, who was charged with battery and cruelty to children, initially told officers she was acting in self-defense. But she then refused to give a statement, police said.

She was released Friday on a $4,150 bond.

She had been teaching in Bibb schools for little more than two months.

Patterson visited the Bruce-Weir classroom Monday.

"The students feel like they're safe at school," she said.

Valentina, however, was not among them. Her father said she is being transferred to Skyview Elementary School.

"We're just taking it a step at a time," Robert Swarn said.

He would not say whether the family plans legal action.

Patterson said she had received no word of any lawsuit.

The system, Patterson said, will inform the Georgia Professional Standards Commission of Rucker's actions. The teacher-licensing agency could revoke her license.

Rucker, who joined Bruce-Weir in August, had teaching stints at school systems in Columbus and Hurtsboro, Ala., as well as a short tenure at a Head Start in Phenix City, Ala., according to Muscogee County schools.

Patterson said the state's teacher shortage meant teachers can more easily move from system to system.

She said school staff had no indication that Rucker would erupt in such a manner.

"There doesn't seem to be any indication that it should have come to that point," Patterson said.

Officials investigated Rucker when she was hired and found no criminal history, Patterson said.

State law requires a background check be performed on every public school teacher within 200 days of hire.

"We all know there is no foolproof method" in hiring, Patterson said.

AuburnGrad · 10-26-2004, 01:48 PM

Quote:

She had been teaching in Bibb schools for little more than two months.

So that rules out the tenure assumption I posted above. I'm glad to see she was fired.

Quote:

Rucker, who joined Bruce-Weir in August, had teaching stints at school systems in Columbus and Hurtsboro, Ala., as well as a short tenure at a Head Start in Phenix City, Ala.

I once taught in Phenx City.

Cail · 10-27-2004, 07:24 PM

It's amazing how the school doesn't want to take any responsibility. They did hire her and it seems that they had failed to investigate the complaints that were made against her before this incident took place.

I can't believe she told the police that she was acting in self defense. That statement should be blown to hell when they have 20 witnesses state the opposite. I hope that now her name has been raked through the mud she'll never teach or work with children again.

goodnightboy · 10-29-2004, 06:47 AM

That's mad. In Singapore, there was controvesy not long ago over the fact that a principal hit a female student with a book because he got angry at her because she was being very ill-disciplined. He resigned voluntarily, and people said that he should not have because the girl had severe disciplinary problems and he was a model principal for 15 years. But he did anyway.

The school should learn from him.


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