VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two female students were involved in a violent attack on a teacher at Independence Middle School in Virginia Beach on Friday, Dec. 20, school officials confirmed.
The incident, which was captured on video by a student in the classroom, had the teacher sent to a local hospital for treatment.
It has prompted a large response from the community: people showing support for teachers, teachers responding with how violent incidents at school impacts them, and people suggesting the student(s) should face charges.
A copy of the video was sent to News 3 this week, and on Wednesday, in an exclusive interview, Superintendent Donald Robertson confirmed to News 3 anchor Kurt Williams the video is the same incident.
In Kurt’s interview, Robertson discussed how the teacher is doing, disciplinary actions and possible criminal charges for the students, and the school’s response.
Below is a video and transcript of Kurt's full conversation with Dr. Robertson. The transcript has been lightly edited where appropriate for content and clarity.
Kurt: Let me start with, how is the teacher doing?
Robertson: So we spoke to her today, and obviously she hasn't returned yet. She said she's doing well, but I think any time you go through a situation like that, there's some trauma there with the teacher. But we are in contact with her, and she is planning to return at some point when she's ready. What we've told her is the most important thing for her to do at this point is to return when she's ready. And we are ready to support her when she's ready to come back.
Kurt: And she gave you a sense that she's planning on returning sooner rather than later, or was there any time timeframe?
Robertson: When she spoke to my chief of staff today, Mister Woodhouse, who used to be her principal at that school, she did not give a date.
Kurt: Did you get any sense on how she sounded?
Robertson: She sounded like she… was doing well, and didn't get into any specifics about any of the injuries that you might get in an altercation. But she's a good staff member and a good teacher and has been with us for quite a while. And we want to make sure she gets the opportunity to come back.
Watch related: Attack on Virginia Beach teacher highlights dangers teachers face in classrooms
Kurt: Did she require medical treatment?
Robertson: She went to the hospital emergency room. Her child took her to the emergency room, and they did a full diagnosis of her, and then she was sent home. Her injuries were consistent with someone who had been in a physical altercation.
Kurt: So what happened in this altercation?
Robertson: So what I can tell you right now is there was an altercation between a student and a teacher at the end of the day prior to going on break that involved physical activity. The teacher and student were engaged in a physical activity initiated by the student. Another student got involved, and those students have been disciplined per the student code of conduct. Also, we involved the police department, and charges could be filed by the teacher on those students for their actions.
Kurt: What is your sense because that's what we've been hearing, that charges could be filed. Is it up to the teacher to determine whether she's going to file charges?
Robertson: We're giving the teacher the opportunity at this point to determine whether she wants to file charges. What we did with our code of conduct, we know this is an assault on staff and handled it as such.
Watch original coverage: Teacher attacked by student at Independence Middle School
Kurt: And there were two students involved?
Robertson: There was an initial student who got involved and a second student who got involved at the very end.
Kurt: Who initially was told about this, who was notified about this?
Robertson: We heard about this about 30 minutes after the end of the school day, on the day before break. The principal notified school leadership who notified me that this had occurred at the end of the school day. They involved the Office of Security Emergency Management, the school resource officer, as they were investigating the situation.
Kurt: Was it just that classroom, or was it just parents of that classroom that were told, or the entire school
Robertson: The decision was made to personally call all the parents of students in that particular classroom, but a message did not go out to the full school community.
Kurt: Do you think it should have?
Robertson: Yes.
Kurt: What do we know about the students, the two students involved?
Robertson: I'm not at liberty to talk about the two students themselves.
Kurt: I understand that you can't identify them, but age, gender?
Robertson: Both were females.
Kurt: What do you want to say to the students of Independence Middle and also to students all across Virginia Beach?
Robertson: What I would say to the students of Independence Middle and the students in every single one of our schools is it is never appropriate, ever, to put your hands on a staff member. Period. And if you do, we will bring the full weight of our student division's code of conduct down upon you because this is not going to be tolerated.
Kurt: Can you say whether these students have had any disciplinary issues in the past?
Robertson: I can't say that either.
Kurt: What kind of impact does this potentially have on teacher retention?
Robertson: Any time you have a teacher that gets assaulted in the classroom, it causes anxiety, and rightly so. Teachers want to come in and do their job. They love their kids, and they want to feel safe, and they deserve to feel safe. Our students need to feel safe. When actions like this occur, it requires swift and decisive action by administration, which is what we've done and will continue to do. My initial response to the issue on that Friday was that it sickened me. I had just left to meet my wife for dinner, and we immediately left to go home and communicate with various staff members, including checking on the teacher. It was devastating.
