On October 18th a teacher was beaten at Armstrong High School here in Richmond for attempting to stop a student from using his cell-phone. The male student who attacked the female teacher was 15 years old. Reginald Malone the East End representative for the City of Richmond School board, in response to the attack said something along the lines of: teachers need to be careful how they are talking to students. Maybe he was talking to his Mama and she had just had an accident.

Truly amazing. How can an individual justify an attack on a teacher? I don't care how the teacher spoke to the student, no one had the right to attack her. Fortunately, perhaps against Reggie Malone's wishes, assault is still illegal in this country, so the student was arrested. I find it hard to work in a school district where a school board representative basically defends and attempts to justify a physical attack on a teacher. I don't care if his mother was just in an accident, perhaps he should have told his teacher that instead of beating her. The teacher had to be taken to the hospital.

My first teaching assignment ever was at Armstrong High School. It is scary to think that it could have been me.

Unfortunately I can't link to the article because you have to pay for use of the Richmond Times Dispatch archives.