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  Teacher Beating Leads To Calls To Address Violence

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Teacher Beating Leads To Calls To Address Violence

Reporting
Gigi Barnett

There's growing violence in Baltimore City's schools.

Gigi Barnett reports at least two teachers have been attacked in the last week.  One attack was even caught on tape.

Baltimore's Teachers' Union says more than 40 teachers have requested a transfer out of Reginald F. Lewis High School since the beginning of the school year.
 
In many of those cases, the reasons why were caught on tape.

Students at Reginald F. Lewis High School in Northeast Baltimore stood by and watched as another student lashed out, angry that her teacher told her to sit down.

She lunged at the art teacher, pinned her down, punching and striking out.

The video was posted to the Internet and is now causing outrage among school leaders and fear among teachers.

"We've gotten letters after letters about the unsafe environment that these teachers are working in," said BTU President Marietta English.

English says for months she complained about a growing number of assaults against teachers. English says no one listened. She says many of the assaults are never reported.

"Had this not been exposed, this would not have been reported. I know for a fact there are incidents that have happened in schools daily that have not been reported," said English.

Some are caught, like an incident at Renaissance Academy in Baltimore.

School police were called in for reports of a fight on campus. One staff member ended up in the back of an ambulance.
 
"It is the unfortunate consequence of a spill-over into the schools of many, many things that are the ills of our city and of our society," said City Schools CEO Dr. Andres Alonso.

City school leaders say they have a special task force to deal with the violence on campus. But Alonso says without the community's help, this kind of violence could continue.

"Community needs to get involved. The parents need to accept responsibility, principals need to act right. Teachers need to do what they must," said Alonso.

Alonso is ordering that all teachers and all principals report every act of violence they see on campus.

So far more than 100 students have been expelled this school year for assaults on a teacher.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)