what would you do?

[SkyRock]

I work in an urban school district(Memphis city schools) in a rough part of the city.  MCS has adopted the Blue Ribbon Plan for discipline this year which does not allow teachers or administrators to administer corporal punishment.  Also, suspensions are to be avoided at all cost as well,(No Child Left Behind) since the schools lose money whenever a student is not in class.  
     Today, a good friend of mine who is also our on-site police officer, was pushed down a flight of stairs and suffered a massive concussion and some face damage.(this happened about 1 hour ago and I havent heard latest on his condition)  The kid is in my class and is one of 13 CRIPS I have in my 7th period class.(I brought up the fact he is in the CRIPS because much of our violent crimes on campus come from either the CRIPS or BLOODS or both when they fight each other)  He has threatened me before but I just tell him to take his best shot and he has always backed down.  After pushing Officer White down the stairs, this kid(he's 19) ran like hell.  As he passed I had a terrible urge to flatten him with a hard right to his lower jaw.  I found myself even drawing back on him as he passed.  I understand that legally I would have been up the creek as the student was in the process of fleeing and was not an immediate threat to me or any of my students.  I almost lost control!  
What would you have done?

[Skilless]

Originally posted by SkyRock
I work in an urban school district(Memphis city schools) in a rough part of the city.  MCS has adopted the Blue Ribbon Plan for discipline this year which does not allow teachers or administrators to administer corporal punishment.  Also, suspensions are to be avoided at all cost as well,(No Child Left Behind) since the schools lose money whenever a student is not in class.  
     Today, a good friend of mine who is also our on-site police officer, was pushed down a flight of stairs and suffered a massive concussion and some face damage.(this happened about 1 hour ago and I havent heard latest on his condition)  The kid is in my class and is one of 13 CRIPS I have in my 7th period class.(I brought up the fact he is in the CRIPS because much of our violent crimes on campus come from either the CRIPS or BLOODS or both when they fight each other)  He has threatened me before but I just tell him to take his best shot and he has always backed down.  After pushing Officer White down the stairs, this kid(he's 19) ran like hell.  As he passed I had a terrible urge to flatten him with a hard right to his lower jaw.  I found myself even drawing back on him as he passed.  I understand that legally I would have been up the creek as the student was in the process of fleeing and was not an immediate threat to me or any of my students.  I almost lost control!  
What would you have done?

If I were you I'd either:

1. Start looking for a new school district
2. Start looking for a new line of work

[Clifra Jones]

Originally posted by Skilless
If I were you I'd either:

1. Start looking for a new school district
2. Start looking for a new line of work

I 2nd that. If the school district administration does not wish to confront the problem then they are only putting you at risk. Not worth it at all. there are far better places to work.

[lasersailor184]

I would swung with all my force just to the right or left of his chin.  

Especially since this kid is running at you, this would do one of two things.  Possibly both.

1.) Knock the kid out from pain.

2.) Compound fracture of the jaw.  


And then I would have paused for a minute to devote an entire section of my memory to the sound my fist made as it broke said jaw.

[Tarmac]

Trip his ass, then restrain him.  If he punches at you, game on.  

Sucks that your administration is a bunch of weenies.

ed: depending on your state laws (I'll go off of MI law), he's just committed a felony by assaulting an officer, and a prosecutor would argue felonious assault on top of that because of the stairs/concussion.  Citizens arrests for felons are A-ok when it's committed in the citizen's presence, meaning you can use reasonable (trip, holding) force to restrain him.  If he punches you, now it's self defense.  

Again, then you'd have to deal with administration, and if they're a bunch of pansies you could still get in trouble.  But legally you'd be fine in MI.

[USHilDvl]

IMO, You probably did the right thing as far as your career and livelihood goes.  
 
However, I can't help but feel that if this punk is 19, then he is, by every standard we have, a legal adult...student or not.  And a legal adult who assaults someone is subject to adult consequences...and you should have dropped him cold.  Then slap him awake, and deck him again.

Clearly, it takes a real man to push a guy down a flight of stairs, probably from behind, then run like a girl (please pardon me, ladies...just an expression) to avoid facing up.  Little budding monsters like this need to see the other side of adult freedom...it's called consequences.

On another note...Crips and Bloods in Memphis ?    Wow.  I'm not sure I ever imagined such a thing.  Maybe this shining light should take a good look at where 'Tookie' Williams is now...

Remember, man...if no one saw you punch his punk lights out, then he 'fell'.

I sincerely hope you stay safe, and that your friend recovers well and quickly. Hell of a Christmas present for people who work to give kids a future.

In a perfect world, you and your bud will wait till the noise blows over, find the criminal's route home, and corner him alone.  You know...use his own MO.  Explain carefully a few facts of life, and then beat the living shiatsu of of him.  

Actually, this is more noise than good sense.  I just get outraged by stuff like this, and ungrateful little crapheads who fancy themselves 'urban warriors'.  Pffft.   My ass.

, and be well.

[capt. apathy]

what are you talking about.  you have a very warped view of the events.  as I see it he pushed the officer then charged at you.

  drop him and let the lawyers sort it out.

[nirvana]

I'm in concurrence with the Captain as well as Hildvl, you should have knocked his bellybutton out COLD.  There is no excuse for that kind of behavior anywhere.  Not sure about your school regs but where i go to school, any gang "paraphenilia" including 90% red or blue clothing, flashing gang signs, or any clothing associated with gangs gets you a suspension I believe.

He was charging you, your fist should have met his jaw.

[Sandman]

Help me to understand... A nineteen year old student assaulted a police officer and he's still walking around campus?

[midnight Target]

You mean you saw an adult fleeing the scene of a crime and you were worried about corporal punishment?

Did you witness the crime? If you did, you might be liable for violating the samaritan law..... you better move.

[GtoRA2]

Isn't assaulting an Oficer like that a felony?

[Delirium]

I would never work in a school today, teachers are automatically wrong and the parents, the community, and the kids friends defend the student even when obviously wrong.

I'd sooner go to Iraq wearing an 'Allah sucks' t-shirt.

[SMIDSY]

as he was running by you should have "stretched" your arms out. then he would "accidentally" hit your arms. oops, now you are a hero.

[SkyRock]

Just a little more detail on the matter.  Officer White is hospitalized with a concussion.  The young man, Terrel, is on the lamb.  This happened in a high school gym during a christmas presentation when visiting elementary kids were singing for us.   I was about six feet away from runner and there were other kids between us, hence no real chance of clocking him even though I had the urge.  I face this type of mentality everyday so in the heat of the moment, I was acting off an inate instinct to retaliate, which I am professionally trained to resist.  
     I am going to jump forward to how I feel about the incident now that it has been six hours ago.  I feel exactly the way I do everyday, which is to do my job the best I can, help as many as possible come to terms with the reality of growing up and educating yourself, enlighten the bright and feed the dim, provide a realistic model or role as a professioinal, and preach through way of action how a decent human being should act in public.  
     I was being generalistic as experience has taught me that fluidity in dealing with young adults lends itself to a higher rate of mastery on overall or longterm objectives. In other words, coldcocking someone blindly as they run by, would be exemplifying the exact behavior that I work very hard everyday to destabilize in our school/community.  
      Violence is entertainment in this environment so you walk a very thin line in what you can "be OK" with and when things are about to be dangerous.   I experience about three to four "dangerous" interactions a day, so I am a little desensitized.  When I saw my friend lying there with a knot the size of a grapefruit on his head and having trouble breathing, I became enraged, as did everyone(adult) else who witnessed the event.  As it stands right now, I am entertaining coach Slokum's idea.  Lets say, Terrel accidentally finds himself in a room with myself and the other five coahes.  When we ask him why is he not in class, he accidentally slips on his own urine and breaks 6 ribs and both kneecaps.   That should put him missing over 30 days at which time he would have to wait until the next year to re-register.

[2bighorn]

Sky, you shouldn't post "evidence" on public message board, otherwise, plan is good...