This article is taken from the Georgia Association of Educators Summer 2006 magazine. It is particularly interesting to me because Mrs. G taught in this school for one year. She resigned at the end of the year without having secured a position in another school because conditions regarding student discipline were at such a level that it was clearly an unsafe place for her to work. She was both threatened and assaulted by different students during the school year and filed charges against one student who was later found guilty of assault.

"Clayton County Teacher Exonerated in Using Self-Defense Against Student Attack

The GAE member was a fifth-grade teacher at Pointe South Middle School in Clayton County. A female student in the hallway refused to go to class after being instructed by the teacher to do so. The hallway video shows the student angrily mouthing-off and gesturing in defiance. The student had to be held back by friends. The video shows the student breaking away from her friends and hitting the teacher in the face with a closed fist and throwing several punches until the teacher defended herself by striking the student once to prevent further attacks. The teacher clearly acted only in self-defense. Remarkably, the school's Resource Officer took out a criminal warrant for the teacher's arrest. The Clayton County Magistrate Judge dismissed the criminal case against the teacher after hearing the evidence. Ultimately, charges were brought by the same School Resource Officer against the student, who pled guilty. GAE legal counsel represented the teacher throughout the proceedings in reaching the dismissal of any criminal charges."