A 15-year-old student in the East Bay is being charged with assault after police say he beat up his PE teacher.
The incident at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord was caught on cellphone video. The 27-second video shows the student and teacher throwing punches.
"The student was walking towards the gym. The teacher told him he couldn’t be there," Concord Police Cpl. Chris Blakely said. "Some words were exchanged between him and the teacher and it lead to a physical altercation."
Authorities said the fight happened Wednesday afternoon during a gym class. In the video, which was taken by another student, teens can be heard cheering in the background.
The student can be seen in the video throwing more punches at the teacher, whose face is already bloody.
"And nobody is doing anything to help the teacher," parent Shawna Delarosa said. "That's disgusting."
Another student questions what the video, which started mid fight, does not show. The student notes the teacher is fighting too.
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"If a student swings at you, you should just back off," student Sabina Villaro said. "I was surprised that the teacher actually kept with the fight."
In addition to being charged with assault, the student has been suspended from school and may be expelled pending a further investigation. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave, school officials said.
The Mt. Diablo Unified School District is unable to comment on the incident, citing issues regarding student discipline are confidential.
The district on Thursday sent out a message to parents via phone and letter, which said in part:
"As some of you may have heard, we had an incident on campus yesterday afternoon involving an altercation between a student and a teacher. As a result of this incident, the student has been suspended in accordance with district policies for student discipline, and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave. This will allow us to follow due process and conduct a thorough investigation, respecting due process for all involved.
We take the safety and security of all students, staff and visitors very seriously. We must also respect the privacy of those involved, and not disclose any more specifics about the incident while the investigation is ongoing."
