Why a Viral Video of a High School Teacher Being Assaulted by a Student Is Resurfacing

By Rebecca Gruber

Earlier this year, a Paterson, NJ, high school freshman was charged with assault after a YouTube video appeared showing him assaulting his physics teacher during class. The video is now resurfacing, likely due to the recent viral video of a cop slamming a student to the ground in a classroom.

According to John F. Kennedy High School teacher Khamis Aburmeilah, the student arrived late for class and was disruptive, leading the teacher to confiscate his cell phone and write him up:

"At this point, the student allegedly sat down at the teacher's seat and refused to go back to his seat when ordered to by the teacher. He then got up, grabbed the teacher from behind and proceeded to slam the teacher onto the ground and punch him on the upper body until another student pulled him off the teacher."

A video of the incident, filmed by another student in the class, was uploaded to YouTube. It shows the entire struggle, including Aburmeilah being thrown to the ground and the assailant grabbing the phone away from the teacher; all the while, a student can be heard calling for security.

According to the school's principal, students at the school are allowed to have phones in the classroom for academic purposes, "but staff may take the devices and return them at the end of the day if students use them for other reasons."

Almost a week after the incident, the teacher is still complaining of back, head, and shoulder pain.

The incident is sparking significant discussion online. Some teachers are concerned that Aburmeilah doesn't appear to have fought back, out of fear of losing his job. Parents have expressed dismay that none of the other students in the class appeared to step in to break up the fight, and that an incident like this even occurred at all.

"It's troubling that in our society today, students think that inside a school they can put their hands on each other and teachers, as well," veteran school board member Jonathan Hodges told Paterson Press.