Last week an 18-year-old student walked into a classroom to talk with a friend. The substitute teacher overseeing the class at Bartram High School in Southwest Philadelphia told the teen to leave. The student refused. The teacher and the student had a verbal altercation that escalated, and the substitute was pushed by the student, authorities say. The student left the classroom, but according to police who spoke with CBS Philadelphia, the student confronted the substitute at the end of the school day.
"He told me, 'Get the f—k out of my face,' substitute English teacher Pewu Johnson told NBC Philadelphia.
"The boy dropped me down with so much force," Johnson told the station, "I was out."
Video of Johnson lying motionless on the ground while students looked was shared on social media.
Johnson told NBC that he was treated at the hospital and released shortly after. He noted that he planned to file a criminal complaint against the student. A statement issued by the Philadelphia School District indicated that the student had been suspended and was facing expulsion.
"No forms of violence, especially against teachers, should be tolerated," Philadelphia Councilman Kenyatta Johnson told CBS Philadelphia. "So we want to make sure that teachers are safe, all young people are safe, and most importantly, that there’s a zero-tolerance policy toward any type of violence against any teachers."
Read more at NBC Philadelphia and CBS Philadelphia.