A Syracuse, N.Y. mother who was unhappy with the way her child was disciplined at school decided to take matters into her own hands – literally.
Lynzina Sutton’s daughter told her teacher, “My mom will handle this,” on Feb. 15 after she was punished for allegedly lying about where she was during the school day, according to the New York Post.
Although the teacher filed a report with the school’s administration about the verbal threat she received, it wasn’t enough to stop what happened when Sutton arrived at Lincoln Middle School the next day looking for answers.
Sutton, who is just shy of five feet tall, snuck past security with the other students wearing a hood. Once she entered her daughter’s classroom, she unleashed a fury of blows on the teacher, punching her in the face while 25 to 30 students in the classroom at the time watched in horror.
The teacher, who was described by the District Superintendent as a “dedicated staff member,” was left with a concussion and several broken bones in her face, according to official reports.
“These are injuries you don’t often see in a boxing match,” said Onondaga District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick during a press conference.
Sutton, who was able to leave the school building on her own that day, was later arrested and charged with burglary and assault. She was released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 22.
Sutton’s mother said that, although she felt bad for the injured teacher, the violent outburst was a result of anger at repeated instances of bullying towards her daughter that were not handled.
“She’s been slapped, she’s been kicked, they’ve broken her glasses three times, they’ve broken cellphones twice, and all we get [from the school] is, ‘Well what is she doing?’ They made her out to be the problem,” Roxanne Thompkins told CNYCentral.
“I apologize for that, and I hope she recovers. There’s always a better way to handle stuff and we were going to talk at the school to have a conversation, with the school, like we have numerous times,” she added.
The Syracuse Teacher’s Association says it is working with the district to make sure teachers feel safe in their classrooms, something Syracuse City School District Superintendent Anthony Davis says should be guaranteed.
“When people are dedicating their lives to educating our students, they shouldn’t have to worry about this,” he said at a Feb. 21 press conference.