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Cell phone video captures Normandy High student and teacher involved in physical brawl

School leaders say they are working with police and conducting their own investigation.

WELLSTON, Mo. — A shocking school fight between a student and teacher was caught on camera.

"She really couldn’t talk. She don’t understand why. She was crying,” Greg Stanton said of his significant other.

The 65-year-old teacher's loved ones said something needs to be done.

Video shows a student dragging the science teacher who is already on the ground. It appears the teacher tries to restrain the student as the student kicks and throws blows.

It happened outside of a Normandy High School classroom on Wednesday. The veteran teacher was taken to the hospital shortly afterward.

“She's banged up pretty bad…. I'm at work and I get this video…. She was circled up,” Stanton continued. 

He said his significant other told police a student left class and eventually returned to get her book bag. When she told the student to wait, he said, the student pushed past the teacher, grabbed her bookbag and attacked the teacher.

"Where were the police? Where were the (paraprofessionals)?" Stanton asked.

Normandy Schools said in a statement, “The district is addressing an incident that occurred this morning involving a confrontation between a teacher and a student. The administration is taking this matter seriously and is fully cooperating with local law enforcement. Additionally, we have launched an internal investigation to gather all the necessary facts surrounding the incident, and appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of these investigations. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are of the utmost importance to Normandy Schools Collaborative, and our primary focus is to provide a safe and nurturing space for students to learn and for teachers to educate."

"Teaching is one of the most difficult jobs in the world,” said education consultant Ian Buchanan, who is a former principal with Normandy Schools.

"What does a teacher do? Let's say hypothetically a student swings at you? What's the ideal response?” 5 On Your Side asked.

“There are a number of techniques many teachers have been trained to use and execute,"  Buchanan responded. "I think first, is to resist that first reaction to response in a defensive way…I definitely wouldn't want it to be an eye for an eye or a tit for a tat yet at the same time, just in case you didn’t know, teachers are human beings. So we can talk about all of this theory of what's supposed to happen, but when you’re confronted with all of those situations, who knows what might happen."

Police said criminal charges will be sought against the student through the St. Louis County Juvenile Courts.

Loved ones said the teacher is in pain but is expected to be OK.

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