Student who punched teacher in face in viral video, 2 other brawling students shouldn't be 'criminalized': Superintendent



The Georgia high school student who punched a teacher in the face last week — an incident that was captured on a viral cellphone video — as well as two other brawling students seen in the clip should not be "criminalized," the school district superintendent said Tuesday.

DeKalb County School District Superintendent Devon Horton said each of the three students who were charged with battery and disrupting public school has a story and there is “more to it than meets the eye," Decaturish reported.

'This was not as cut and dry as the video showed.'

“I am going to be honest. From what I’ve known as a superintendent regarding the situation, I do not support them being criminalized. I do not," Horton told listeners at a news conference. "Every student deserves an opportunity ... and there are some factors that we are aware of that could have prevented this, and so we're looking into that right now.”

The fight took place last Tuesday at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Lithonia, which is about 20 minutes southeast of Atlanta.

What happened prior to the on-camera violence isn't clear, but the video begins with a male wearing a dark hoodie running up to a teacher wearing a jacket and tie and punching him in the face. As you might expect, onlookers in the hallway let out an approving holler in unison.

A security guard who's right next to the teacher puts the attacker in a bear hug and attempts to move him away, but the angry teacher hits his attacker with a punch of his own, which the crowd doesn't like one bit.

With that, two other males — one wearing a gray hoodie and the other wearing a white hoodie — go after the teacher and knock him to the floor. By this point, the frenzied students are behaving as if they're watching a UFC match.

The teacher gets up again, and there's a little bit of pushing and shoving, but that's where the 45-second clip ends. You can view it here.

The district said in a statement that several students reportedly initiated the physical fight with the teacher, WXIA-TV reported. The teacher in question is on paid administrative leave, Decaturish said.

Horton said at least one of the students involved in the fight had been at the school for less than a month.

“To be honest, this was not as cut and dry as the video showed,” Horton added during the news conference, according to Decaturish. “There were some things that, as a system, that we could have done better.”

Horton said challenges and stressors that students and teachers face in and out of school combine to create “the perfect storm for an incident like that," the outlet added.

Decaturish said Horton and other officials brought up a number of recently implemented restorative practice programs in the district that they say have resulted in better attendance and graduation rates, as well as fewer disciplinary incidents and suspensions at the high school.

You can view a video here showing school district officials discussing the incident at the news conference.

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HS kid punches teacher in face — and teacher fights back, video apparently shows. 3 students charged with battery over brawl.



A video has surfaced apparently showing a Georgia high school student punching a teacher in the face, and the angry teacher fighting back — after which a brawl ensues.

WXIA-TV reported that the DeKalb County School District is addressing the video that was recorded Tuesday at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, which is in Lithonia — about 20 minutes southeast of Atlanta.

The teacher in question is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, the station noted.

What took place prior to the on-camera violence isn't clear, but the video begins with a male wearing a dark hoodie running up to a man wearing a jacket and tie by a classroom door — presumably the teacher — and punching him in the face. As you might expect, onlookers in the hallway let out an approving holler in unison.

A security guard who's right next to the teacher puts the attacker in a bear hug and attempts to move him away, but the angry teacher hits his attacker with a punch of his own, which the crowd doesn't like one bit.

With that, two other males — one wearing a gray hoodie and the other wearing a white hoodie — go after the teacher and knock him to the floor. By this point, the frenzied students are behaving as if they're watching a UFC match.

The teacher gets up again, and there's a little bit of pushing and shoving, but that's where the 45-second clip ends. You can view it here.

What does the school district have to say?

The district said in a statement that several students reportedly initiated the physical fight with the teacher, WXIA reported, adding that three students are charged with battery and disrupting public school.

The teacher in question is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, the station noted.

"The DeKalb County School District is firmly committed to maintaining learning environments free from violent behavior and will not tolerate physical altercations in our schools," a spokesperson for the school district told WXIA.

You can view a video report here regarding the incident.

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4 children alone at home when thugs shoot up house; Mom says it's payback after son, 14, fought at school when he got jumped



Gunmen opened fire at a home in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Tuesday morning — and four children who were alone inside the home were forced to run for cover, WSB-TV reported.

Their mother told the station that the shooting was retaliation after her 14-year-old son got into a fight when he was jumped at school.

'One came close to my sister, but she ducked.'

WSB said the home on Overlook Avenue was hit by bullets dozens of times just before 10 a.m.

The mother told the station it all happened right after she departed her residence with her son: “We left at 9:45. My daughter was calling me at 9:52 screaming in the phone."

WSB said the mother allowed her 11-year-old girl to tell the station how the terrifying incident went down, with bullets piercing windows and walls and all the children running for their lives.

“One came close to my sister, but she ducked,” the 11-year-old girl told WSB, adding that "gunshots" were "going all through all over the house."

The station said bullet holes were seen all over the home, most of which were located in the upper level.

No one was hurt in the shooting, WSB said, adding that a neighbor showed a station reporter doorbell video in which gunmen are heard firing multiple shots into a home.

The reporter asked the mother whether she thought the gunmen wanted to kill her family, the station said, adding that the mom replied, “Of course, they shot 25 times in the house."

WSB said police were on the scene, and evidence markers were visible in the street — and the mother indicated that police told her they have a good idea who fired the shots.

“They got Ring cameras so they gonna get to the bottom of it,” the mother told the station reporter.

The neighbor who showed the WSB reporter doorbell video of the shooting asked him not to air it.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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5 voting locations in Georgia receive bomb threats, voting suspended



There were bomb threats made at five voting locations in Georgia, according to local authorities. Because of the bomb threats, voting was suspended.

The official website of DeKalb County released a statement regarding the seven bomb threats, including seven made in five voting precincts on Election Day.

County officials said the suspension of voting was a 'precautionary measure for the safety of voters and poll workers.'

DeKalb County officials listed the following precincts as having received bomb threats:

  • New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Road, Lithonia
  • New Life Community Center, 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur
  • North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Drive, Chamblee
  • Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Road, Tucker
  • Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road, Decatur

County officials noted that two other locations received bomb threats: the Salem Panola Library at 5137 Salem Road in Lithonia and the Old Sam's Club in Stonecrest — which is not an active polling location.

The DeKalb County Police Department conducted bomb sweeps at the locations.

Voting was suspended at the locations targeted by the multiple bomb threats.

“Rest assured that we are working quickly to ensure every voter will have an opportunity to cast their ballot despite these bomb threats,” said DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections Executive Director Keisha Smith. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending voting at these polling locations until we have clearance from DeKalb Police to reopen the facilities.”

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond added, "Every asset that we have will be deployed to ensure that every citizen who wants to vote will be given that opportunity and every vote cast will be counted."

County officials said the suspension of voting was a "precautionary measure for the safety of voters and poll workers."

DeKalb County officials stated, "Once each location is cleared, voters will be able to re-enter the facility and cast their ballots."

County officials noted, "The DeKalb County Law Department is in the process of seeking an emergency order extending the voting times at the affected polling locations."

On Tuesday, the FBI said there had been fake "Russian bomb threats" made to polling places in the swing states of Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

"The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains," the FBI said in a press release, according to the Daily Mail.

The FBI noted that none of the threats have been "determined to be credible thus far."

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier on Tuesday, "Georgia is not going to be intimidated. Russia just decided they picked on the wrong Georgia. They need to pick on the other one in the Black Sea because we’re no going to be intimidated, but we’re just excited about where we are right now."

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Georgia GOP Leaders Are Outraged After Dem-Led Counties Abruptly Extend Ballot Drop-Off Deadline

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-02-at-11.36.09 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-02-at-11.36.09%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]'What happened between 8:00 a.m. [and] 1:00 p.m. is unknown because we were not given advance notice,' said DeKalb County GOP Chairwoman Marci McCarthy.

Dem-heavy counties in Georgia engage in election shenanigans over weekend, prompting RNC lawsuit



Blue counties in and around Atlanta, Georgia, are apparently engaging in some election shenanigans this weekend that may run afoul of state law, prompting the RNC to file yet another election integrity lawsuit.

According to a Saturday morning X post from RNC chairman Michael Whatley, Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett Counties will permit voters to drop off absentee ballots at designated polling locations this weekend. Whatley added that extending hours for ballot drop-offs "disregards the law."

'The Secretary of State has issued guidance to allow Republican poll watchers in but local officials REFUSE.'

Indeed, Georgia Code § 21-2-385, passed during the 2023-2024 legislative session, says that early voting in Georgia will begin "on the fourth Monday immediately prior to each primary or election" and "end on the Friday immediately prior to each primary, election, or runoff" (emphasis added).

In 2024, that end point should have been November 1.

Furthermore, Ga. Code § 21-2-382 adds that "all drop boxes shall be closed when the advance voting period ends."

Nevertheless, a report from local PBS and NPR affiliate WABE confirmed that "metro Atlanta residents who live in Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb or Gwinnett counties can drop off their absentee ballots over the weekend and on Monday, Nov. 4, the day before Election Day, at their local election offices."

What's worse, there initially may not have been official oversight of some of these drop-off locations. A photo of an email apparently written by Kathryn Glenn, the registration manager of the Department of Registration & Elections in Fulton County, and apparently sent to dozens of office employees indicates that no poll watchers had been authorized.

"FYI - There are NO WATCHERS approved for ballot drop off! Do not let them in the building," Glenn wrote, according to the photo.

"If they want to observe from the parking lot, you can't stop that," her email apparently continued, "but they are not allowed to sit in the building. Have your security detail enforce it!!!"

As a result, the RNC has already filed a lawsuit, Whatley claimed. As of Saturday afternoon, it remains "pending," he said.

Josh McKoon, the leader of the Georgia Republican Party and a former state senator, called these latest moves from Democrat-area election officials a "blatant violation" of Georgian election law.

"We all know what is going on — Democrats are panicked by the incredible Republican turnout in early voting and will do anything to try to catch up even if it means doing it under the cover of darkness and stiff arming any independent observation of whatever the hell is going on in their four 'special voting locations' open today with no notice or approval by anyone authorized to oversee elections administration," McKoon tweeted on Saturday morning.

McKoon tweeted Saturday afternoon that poll watchers had finally been permitted on the premises.

"Fulton County and other counties are now allowing our poll watchers to observe the voting activity occurring" on Saturday, he wrote.

He attributed the change to a pressure campaign from Republican leaders at the state and national levels.

"While we should not have to alert the public to have Georgia law enforced, I am pleased that lawful observation is now occurring."

Blaze News reached out to Kathryn Glenn and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) for comment but did not receive a response.

This is a developing story. Check back with Blaze News for further updates.

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