DA says high schooler who slapped teacher twice in face will be tried as an adult



A North Carolina district attorney said the high schooler caught on a viral cellphone video slapping a teacher in the face last month will be tried as an adult.

According to Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill, the student in question — 17-year-old Aquavious Hickman — stated he would kill the female Parkland High School teacher, WRAL-TV reported.

What's the background?

In the April 15 video, the teacher remains seated and offers no resistance as the student slaps her twice in the face; the second slap sends the teacher's glasses flying.

“The f***’s wrong with you?" the student asks the teacher after the physical attack. "What you gonna do, still sit in that chair 'cause you a bitch ... ain’t nobody even coming, you got slapped, bitch go back to teaching ...”

Here's the video (Content warning: Language and racial slur, uttered by the student):

— (@)

One day after the attack, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said it "charged a juvenile with Assault on a Government Official and Communicating Threats." Specifically, authorities said Juvenile Justice "issued a Secure Custody Order for one (1) count of Communicating Threats ... and two (2) counts Misdemeanor Assault ..."

At that time, when asked if he would try the student as an adult, O’Neill noted to WGHP-TV that he cannot bring the case to superior court because the charges are only misdemeanors.

However, WRAL noted in its Monday morning report that a grand jury returned the "true bills of indictment" last week against the juvenile for second-degree kidnapping of a teacher by unlawfully confining and restraining her without her consent for the purpose of terrorizing her. Second-degree kidnapping is a felony under state law.

The juvenile also was indicted on the original charges of assault on a government official and communicating threats, WRAL said.

In addition, the juvenile was indicted for second-degree kidnapping of a teacher in a separate incident, WRAL reported, adding that on Feb. 1 he unlawfully confined and restrained a male teacher without consent to terrorize him. The juvenile also was charged with misdemeanor riots in connection with the Feb. 1 incident, during which O’Neill said he didn't act alone, WGHP said in a separate story.

A WXII-TV video report said Hickman was out on bond; a WGHP video report added that he's scheduled to appear in court May 28.

Parkland student who slapped teacher to be tried as an adult, filmed incident was not the first www.youtube.com

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus told WGHP soon after the slaps caught on video that a district hearing would determine consequences for the student — and McManus said she would recommend expulsion.

Additional allegation

Also last month, a former Parkland substitute teacher told WGHP in another story that the student who slapped the teacher twice in the face physically attacked him last year.

Larry Edwards — who has about 40 years of teaching experience and taught at the high school for about 13 years before retiring and becoming a substitute teacher there — told WGHP the student pushed him in the head.

“I was appalled,” Edwards told the station, noting that he was subbing for a biology class in early May 2023 when the student gave him another student’s name and wasn't supposed to be in the class.

Edwards noted to WGHP that the student was disruptive prior to the physical attack: “I walked up to the desk to get my phone to call the office, and he mockingly walked behind me, and I happened to turn around and see him, and the students started laughing. The next thing I know, he had taken his hand and smushed my head, and everybody started laughing, and he ran out.”

Edwards told the station he reported the alleged assault that day, writing an affidavit and presenting it to high school administrators: “The principal was very apologetic. … About a month later, I got this letter from downtown, the juvenile office … I anxiously awaited a day for the court so I could see him in the courtroom because I just wanted to face him."

But Edwards said he was told authorities went a different route, adding to WGHP that he believes it was "sort of swept under the rug."

A district spokesperson told the station regarding Edwards' claims that federal law mandates that student discipline records are private and cannot be shared, and the district cannot comment.

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Punk who slapped HS teacher twice in face gets charged — with misdemeanors



The North Carolina high school student who was caught on video slapping a teacher twice in the face has been charged with misdemeanors.

What are the details?

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday said it "charged a juvenile with Assault on a Government Official and Communicating Threats." Specifically authorities said Juvenile Justice "issued a Secure Custody Order for one (1) count of Communicating Threats ... and two (2) counts Misdemeanor Assault ..." All the charges are misdemeanors.

The sheriff's office noted that the Parkland High School student — who's not being identified due to his age — was recorded on video Monday "assaulting an educator."

In the clip, the teacher remains seated and offers no resistance as the student delivers the pair of slaps — the second one sends the teacher's glasses flying.

“The f***’s wrong with you?" the student asks the teacher after the physical attack. "What you gonna do, still sit in that chair 'cause you a bitch ... ain’t nobody even coming, you got slapped, bitch go back to teaching ...”

Here's the video (Content warning: Language and racial slur, uttered by the student):

— (@)

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus told WGHP-TV a district hearing will determine consequences for the student — and McManus will recommend expulsion.

“It’s just like everything else,” she told the station. “You’ve got people that are going to make bad decisions on a daily basis in schools, out of schools, in the community, everywhere. And we’ve got to take those incidents, and we’ve got to address them.”

When asked if he would try the student as an adult, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill noted to WGHP that he cannot bring the case to superior court because the charges are only misdemeanors.

“We hope … the message we’ve delivered here today is that our teachers, our administrators that are out in these schools … deserve to feel safe," he said, according to the station. "We are here to protect you, and we’re here to see that … you’re never assaulted when you go to work. … We do want to remind people if you put your hands on a teacher, it’s the same as if you put your hands on one of these officers. The district attorney’s office will … bright the weight of this office down on top of you, so you should have fear of consequences.”

Student caught on video attacking teacher at Parkland High School, sheriff says youtu.be

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Viral video: HS student slaps teacher in face twice; teacher stays seated during attack and just takes it



A viral cellphone video shows a North Carolina high school student slapping a teacher in the face at least twice — and the teacher in the clip stays seated during the physical attack, just taking it in front of shocked students.

What are the details?

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office indicated the clip began circulating Monday.

Here's the video (Content warning: Language):

— (@)

"Because it involves a juvenile, we have not and will not discuss the particulars of this incident, but we will work collaboratively with those parties involved to determine the best course of action," Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. said. "At this point, we are praying for wholeness of the teacher involved and healing for our students who witnessed this deplorable act."

WXII-TV reported that Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has launched an investigation over the video.

“This behavior will not be tolerated," Superintendent Tricia McManus said, according to WXII. "At no time is it acceptable for students to put their hands on a teacher in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. My focus now is on making sure that our teacher is taken care of and has the support needed to navigate through the lasting effects of this incident.”

The station added that the principal of Parkland High School — which is in Winston-Salem and is where the incident is believed to have occurred — sent the following message to families:

"Hello Parkland Families, this is Noel Keener, Principal at Parkland High School. I am calling to let you know that earlier today our administration was made aware of a disturbing video of an inappropriate and unsettling interaction between a student and a teacher being circulated on social media. Our administration has started an investigation immediately in conjunction with our law enforcement partners at the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. The student involved in the video will face disciplinary action in accordance with district policies and procedures. The student may also face criminal charges.

"Please know this video is not reflective of our expectations of students at Parkland High School. We are working with district staff to address this immediately and ensure behavior like this is not tolerated in our school and district.

"We always appreciate you making us aware anytime there is something that concerns you. When you see a concerning social media post or text, please remember to report it, not repost or reshare it. We ask that you remind students about the consequences that can come from circulating or sharing inappropriate videos. We take all such matters seriously and thank you for your patience, partnership, and understanding. If you have any questions, please let me know."

WXII added that student information and discipline information is federally protected, and the district cannot share more information at the moment.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools investigating after video circulates of teacher being assaul... youtu.be

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Here's what 2 Parkland fathers have to say about Biden's red flag laws



On February 14, 2018, 17 individuals needlessly lost their lives to 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Two fathers, Andrew Pollock and Ryan Petty, lost children in the massacre and have dedicated their lives to fighting for legislation that actually makes sense in combating school shootings.

While their loss is devastating, they aren’t on board with the Biden administration’s latest policies that they believe would hurt more than help — like the now federalized red flag system.

“In Parkland, the sheriff’s department was out to my daughters’ murderer’s house over 40 times and never arrested,” Pollock tells Sara Gonzales.

“Red flag gun laws only work if they’re enforced. If these people commit crimes and nothing ever gets put on their background, it’ll never show up,” he continues, noting that you can’t entrust the police with just taking innocent civilians' weapons — there has to be due process.

“We don’t need any more laws. We need to enforce the laws that are on the books right now. Arrest criminals, put them in jail, hold them accountable where they learn a lesson, and don’t put them back on the street to hurt innocent children.”

As for the Democrats, Pollock and Petty agree — they’re focused on the wrong thing.

“They’re so simple-minded they can’t look at anything in the facts or in the past. ... They spew this gun control BS, which really kills me and Ryan,” Pollock says.

Gonzales is disturbed by the lack of real action on the government's part concerning these mass shootings.

“The majority of these mass shootings, whether it be at school or somewhere else, it’s like, well, this person was on someone’s radar. Whether it be FBI, federal, or local law enforcement,” Gonzales says, adding, “Sounds like they’re not actually connecting the dots here all the way or they don’t want to.”


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