-
May 8, 2008 11:25 pm US/Eastern
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
WJZ Investigates Student-On-Teacher Violence
Reporting
Adam May
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
The chilling cell phone video of a Baltimore City art teacher being attacked by a student not only made national headlines, it turned Jolita Berry into an activist.
"I don't want school violence to be silenced anymore," said Berry.
Adam May talks to some other victims who accuse the Baltimore City schools of a long-time cover up.
All this week,
WJZ and our newspaper partner "The Baltimore Examiner" have been investigating schools under siege, exposing more than 100 attacks against teachers and staff this year. But some claim that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"The only difference between me and the other teachers that have been attacked, is that that my attack was on video," Berry said.
Shelye Knotts taught high school English in the city for a decade when she was attacked.
"A student who I was attempting to take to the office after they had assaulted the librarian came up behind me and yelled, 'I don't think you know who you're messing with,' and hit me in my upper back in the lower part of my head," Knotts said.
Ironically, two months earlier Knotts expressed safety concerns in a letter. Her classroom was vandalized, she was hit in the face with a snowball and a student threw a pen at her.
She also witnessed 80 additional violent incidents involving other students and teachers.
"I got no support all the way up the ladder. A lot was done to cover up what happened in school," she said.
Eyewitness News took the claims to Andres Alonso, the school system's new CEO, who inherits the problems.
Adam: How can you guarantee teachers that they won't be silenced, can you guarantee?
Alonso: Yes. They will not be silenced.
Alonso also says he's investigating claims that some principals ignored violent incidents in order to protect their jobs or school's standing.
"When a child is exhibiting certain behaviors, if we don't address it, we make it worse," Alonso said.
In fact, he revealed to
Eyewitness News that he's preparing administrative changes at all levels.
"I will be able to fix it with the collaboration of the mayor, community, social services and more importantly than anyone else, the parents, teachers and students," Alonso said.
Alonso won't elaborate on staffing changes yet.
Meanwhile, Jolita Berry is still on leave, not sure if she's going to go back and teach high school.
Teacher Shelye Knotts quit the city schools to work in another district.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)