A vicious attack against a North Carolina high school teacher on Monday went viral online and resulted in the student being hit with three criminal charges.
The assault occurred at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
A clip of the charged moment that has been circulating on the social media platform X showed a male student challenging a teacher to react with violence after he hit the educator hard in the face.
The student then cursed at and threatened the teacher before striking a second time.
“Want me to hit you again?” the student asked repeatedly. “B****a** n**** … Go back to teaching.”
Several other vulgar threats were also made before the clip cut off.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language and violence that might offend some viewers.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina high school teacher at Parkland High School was slapped twice by a student. Story: https://t.co/03PCOZTfuS pic.twitter.com/5O3kw5zDJg
— The North Carolina Beat (@TheNCBeat) April 15, 2024
The school’s principal, Noel Keener, said in an email obtained by WXII-TV that administrators were investigating the incident, but he did not identify the teacher or student.
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“Our administration has started an investigation immediately in conjunction with our law enforcement partners at the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office,” Keener said while referring to an “inappropriate and unsettling interaction between a student and a teacher.”
The principal added, “The student involved in the video will face disciplinary action in accordance with district policies and procedures. The student may also face criminal charges.”
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office confirmed the student had been charged with three crimes.
The unnamed teen was charged with one count of communicating threats and two counts of misdemeanor assault, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Facebook.
The agency said it would not comment further on the case, given the age of the suspect.
The sheriff’s office concluded, “FCSO is committed to the community’s safety and security; therefore, we take every threat seriously, especially when it involves the safety of our schools.”
Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. also issued a statement in which he called the teen’s actions “deplorable.”
“While we all agree that this incident was deplorable and outrageous to the community, and community organizations,” Kimbrough began, “All of us should be outraged when those who educate us can be assaulted.”
The sheriff added, “We should hold those who teach and educate our children to the highest regard. Our hope and our prayer at the FCSO, is that we recognize, that we as a community, must bring order not only to our community but our children.”
Kimbrough concluded he would be praying for everyone involved in the incident.
