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Two teachers fired after video surfaces; colleagues stage walk-out

Posted at 12:20 PM, May 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-09 13:20:04-04

Employees of Ponchatoula Junior High School staged a walkout Thursday morning to demand clearer policy on how they should intervene if a fight breaks out on campus, according to a teacher’s union, our media partners at The Advocate report.

“Following the dismissal of two Ponchatoula Junior High School teachers, faculty are walking out on Thursday, May 9th to protest of the lack of transparent expectations for teachers and support staff when breaking up fights,” a news release from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers says.

The teachers were let go after video surfaced of them struggling with a female student. One of the teachers can be seen holding her down on the concrete with his hand on her throat, and another is dragging her by her foot. The teachers are both male. You can see the video, and read The Advocate’s whole story, by clicking here.

Here’s the full LFT statement, posted by the Hammond Daily Star newspaper: