THOSE “PROFESSIONAL” TEACHERS
This really should be unbelievable. Sadly, it’s not:
MACON, Georgia – A teacher-parent brawl in front of 19 primary school pupils sent a mother to the emergency room and the teacher to jail.
Teacher Katrina Ann Rucker, 30, is charged with battery and cruelty to children for allegedly beating a parent who tried to retrieve her daughter’s book bag, The Macon Telegraph newspaper reported Friday.
According to police interviews, parent Lurella Amica went to Bruce-Weir Elementary School Thursday morning to deliver a note to her 9-year-old daughter.
At the classroom door, the girl told her mother that Rucker had thrown her bag in the trash can, the report stated. Amica entered the classroom and tried to get the book bag, but Rucker grabbed for it and the two struggled, the report said.
After Amica wrestled the bag away, police say Rucker picked up a chair and hit her in the back, knocking Amica to the floor. Rucker then began punching Amica in the face and body.
During the fight, the girl was reportedly crying for her teacher to stop hitting her mother and ran up to them. Rucker then allegedly hit the child, pulled her hair and pushed her out of the way before starting to strike the mother again.
Rucker dragged Amica by the hair outside the classroom, according to the report.
“A school administrator and another teacher had to pull the teacher off the mother,” Macon police spokeswoman Melanie Hofmann said.
In Rucker’s account of the story, she said Amica hit her hand during the initial struggle, Hofmann said.
“The teacher said she was defending herself because she gets a shot in that hand and it hurt,” Hofmann said.
Amica was in stable condition in the emergency room of The Medical Center of Central Georgia late Thursday night.
Rucker was placed on administrative leave.
With pay, I’m sure. Not to worry, though. The edu-crats have it all handled.
Sylvia McGee, Bibb County’s deputy superintendent, said school staff called the parent or guardian of each child in the class. Social workers counseled students, and only Amica’s daughter left school early.
Principal Karen Konke sent letters to parents about the incident.
“Let me assure you the school is safe and that our students have been involved in appropriate instructional activities throughout the day,” Konke wrote.
I feel much better now. (Hat tip: Dee Dee)
UPDATE: Parents are pulling their kids out of this “safe” school.
11 Responses to “THOSE “PROFESSIONAL” TEACHERS”
 Comment by darby October 23rd, 2004 at 3:44 pm |
That’s horrifying! Poor kids, poor mom… 🙁 I’ll be interested to know how the case against the teacher progresses. |
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Comment by darby October 23rd, 2004 at 3:53 pm |
Here’s a bit more on the topic, from a teacher’s chatboard… (P.S. Not all the folks who post there are teachers. There’s far more than the average number of trolls.) |
 Comment by Deb October 23rd, 2004 at 4:12 pm |
This is another fine example of the government run school system. I think Rucker was upset that the mother interrupted the classroom. Many teachers don’t want parents to see what goes on in the classrooms, especially in the elementary grades. In Rucker’s account of the story, she said Amica hit her hand during the initial struggle, Hofmann said. That gives Rucker the right to pick up a chair and hit Lurella Amica on the back? It sounds like Lurella had her back turned and the teacher sucker punched her. That’s a great teaching moment. Rucker then began punching Amica in the face and body. The lady is down and she pummels away at her. Rucker then allegedly hit the child, pulled her hair and pushed her out of the way before starting to strike the mother again. A school administrator and another teacher had to pull the teacher off the mother. We have road rage and now we have teacher rage. Of course, she’s receiving pay while on administrative leave, that’s how the system works. In the real world, she’d have been fired, with no “ifs”, “and”, or “buts.” I feel so sorry for the children and the mom. |
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Comment by darby October 23rd, 2004 at 10:16 pm |
I think the Bibb County school system has some serious issues. Check out what a google search on “bibb teacher” turned up… Bibb teacher pleads guilty (to possession with intent to traffic) Is Bibb County an economically depressed region, or something? |
 Comment by meep October 24th, 2004 at 5:42 am |
Yes, Bibb County is a poor area of Georgia. I used to stop in Macon on the way from Savannah to Atlanta, and it’s not a pretty place. There are much poorer areas of Georgia, to be sure, but we all knew not to stay in Macon for any long period of time. |
 Comment by Bill October 24th, 2004 at 7:38 pm |
I would like to know what race the teacher and Mother are! |
 Comment by don October 25th, 2004 at 9:36 am |
Bill – the article doesn’t mention any racial motivation to the attack. So what does race have to do with it? |
 Comment by shannon October 28th, 2004 at 8:51 am |
I must say that I do see Bill’s point on the race issue as I had thought the same thing. I wondered because if one was white and the other black then one could try and play the “race card”. I know it sounds inflammatory but I have seen it done, as many of us have, on more than one occasion and it has a tendency to shift the focus from the incident in question. |
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Comment by Anonymous November 29th, 2004 at 7:32 pm |
Here’s a bit more on the topic, from a teacher’s chatboard… Darby, It appears the post with all the trolls was taken down or moved. Can you remember anything from it you can share? |
 Comment by Gene November 29th, 2004 at 7:33 pm |
Darby posted: Here’s a bit more on the topic, from a teacher’s chatboard… Darby, It appears the post with all the trolls on teacher.net was taken down or moved. Can you remember anything from it you can share? |
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Trackback from Number 2 Pencil October 26th, 2004 at 11:36 am |
Do they teach wrestling moves in education programs these days? Looks like someone should have tried out for the WWF, not the NEA: Teacher Katrina Ann Rucker, 30, is charged with battery and cruelty to children for allegedly beating a parent who tried to retrieve her daughter’s book bag, The… |