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May 10, 2008 7:33 am US/Eastern
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Teacher Claims Parent Assaulted Her During Class
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
Another violent attack on a Baltimore City teacher has been reported.
Gigi Barnett explains this time a parent lashed out against the teacher, and the teacher is filing criminal charges.
Baltimore City teacher Sandra Herrera thought her classroom at Coppin Academy, a charter school in West Baltimore, was safe.
Her mind was changed last week when parent Sherry Shields stormed into her classroom. She was angry that Hererra asked her daughter not to interrupt the class.
"She told her child to take anything from the desk that you need. The child was standing across from me from the table. That's when she came in and shoved me to the ground and stood over me," said Herrera.
Now Herrera is fighting back in court. She asked a judge for a permanent restraining order Thursday, and she's pressing criminal assault charges against Shields.
"You have to be able to come into a school and feel that you're not out on the street. There has to be a change," said Herrera.
Herrera was most concerned for her students who watched the attack in the middle of class.
"They were mesmerized. They were shocked," said Herrera.
This latest attack comes at a time when a chain of violent outbursts from students has plagued the school system.
Last month students captured a cell phone video of an art teacher being assaulted.
Earlier this week police arrested two 13-year-old boys at Calverton Middle School for the attempted rape of an assistant principal.
Now it's Herrera's case, and it's something teachers have complained about for months.
City Schools CEO Dr. Andres Alonso says it's unacceptable and violence on campus is a community issue.
"We should not make the conversation only about negativity that is coming from incidents that are clearly unacceptable in our schools. We have a responsibility to end those incidents," said Alonso.
Shields will go to trial in June. She faces second-degree assault charges.
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