*The parents of a student at Ypsilanti Middle School in Michigan are calling for assault charges against one of their son’s coaches after school surveillance footage captured the man choking the teenager with a shirt.
In the video, the coach, who also serves as a hall monitor, attacks the student named Michael from behind after he refused to do pushups as a punishment for horsing around in the hallway, 7 News Detroit reports.
Although the surveillance video lacks audio, it shows Michael on his knees with his arms extended, seemingly trying to demonstrate something to the coach. Michael’s mother told the news outlet that he had a hand injury and was attempting to explain why he couldn’t do push-ups.
After Michael stands up and enters a classroom, the coach follows him to bring him back into the hallway. That’s when the coach approaches Michael from behind, wrapping a shirt around his neck. The footage shows that the boy visibly struggles, his face showing signs of discoloration and distress.
It’s unclear whether the man (whose name was not disclosed by the news outlet) releases the 14-year-old student or if the student manages to break free.
Michael’s mother said the principal told her the coach had been terminated and banned from the premises after the incident.
“I was angry,” Steve Moon, Michael’s father, told 7 News Detroit.
“I said if he can do that to Michael, I’d like to see him try to do that to me,” Mood added.
Michael’s mother, Yolanda Ellis, said the school refused to let her see the video, which she ultimately obtained from law enforcement after she filed a complaint with the Ypsilanti Police Department.
According to 7 News, Michael did not return to school after the incident, and the coach was not charged.
The family hired attorney Jordan Vahdat, who intends to investigate the assault independently, along with any past incidents involving the coach and other students.
Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross released the following statement:
Our district is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students. The actions of the employee are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our district. Effective immediately, the employee is no longer working at the school district, and is not permitted to enter school property or attend school activities. We will continue to implement and enforce policies that protect our students and ensure their well-being.
The district also sent a letter to parents alerting them to a “serious incident” involving the school staffer.
The letter states “.. we are committed to continuing to fully cooperate with the involved authorities. Due to the ongoing nature of this investigation and the involvement of a student, we are unable to provide specific details.”
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