The principal of Oakley’s Freedom High School is recovering after he was punched while attempting to separate a fight between students.
The video of the incident has been circulating on social media. One of those videos showed the moments Freedom High School Principal Dr. Steve Amaro was punched by a student on Tuesday.
“The school day was starting. I was out in the quad. One of our teachers noticed there was a disturbance in the hallway and I went and responded to it,” he said.
According to Oakley police, a female student and a student, who identifies as non-binary were arguing. That’s when Amaro tried separating them, but he and the female student fell to the ground.
Police say the non-binary student began punching Amaro up to four times.
“Obviously, there’s a little bit of shock that sets in,” he said. “My first concern is always for the safety of our students. I wasn’t concerned for my safety. It was: 'Hey, can I get these two students to a place where they can be safe.”
Amaro suffered injuries to his face and ribs. But the students were safe. While Amaro is keeping positive about the situation, some parents say they are concerned about safety on campus.
Amaro told NBC Bay Area Wednesday that while he understands, he’s confident their students are protected.
“In terms of safety, we have six campus supervisors and a school resource officer, along with five administrators that are always present on campus,” he said.
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Oakley police told NBC Bay Area Wednesday it’s forwarded the case to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office with a recommendation of a felony filing against the non-binary student.
