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KEARNS — The Granite School district is now investigating what it calls an "egregious" attack on a teacher in the classroom by a 14-year-old student. The teacher is said to be recovering, as is an assistant principal and a resource officer who assisted the teacher.
The district revealed Wednesday that the student has special needs.
Police told KSL-TV Tuesday the student had the teacher in a chokehold. They said the incident happened after the student was late for class and an argument with the teacher ensued. She attempted to have him leave the classroom.
District spokesman Ben Horsley said that's when the alleged attack happened. "This wasn't something that kind of slowly escalated. It was like something snapped," he said.
Horsley says in addition to their special needs, the student also has what he called some "mitigating factors." "The student is at risk for a variety of reasons of which I'm not able to disclose," he said.
A woman claiming to be a family member of the student also reached out to KSL-TV and did not want to speak publicly. She believes this student acted out because of trauma they've experienced and his special needs.
Horsley said the district will need to determine how that factored into the alleged attack.
"We have to actually investigate the matter and determine whether the disability manifested itself as part of the behavior problem. So did the disability potentially cause the behavior issue?" he explained.
The student is now suspended from school. Granite School District doesn't expel students. A committee will now decide whether to move him to another school. He's also facing possible criminal charges.
"So, if the student's convicted that obviously, based on the evidence, those — all those factors will play into what action we take administratively," Horsley said.
Related:
Student puts teacher in chokehold, attacks others in Kearns High School classroom, police say
A disturbing fight in a Kearns High School classroom Tuesday ended with a student in juvenile detention after police said the student put a teacher in a chokehold before assaulting two other adults as they tried to free the teacher in front of students.The incident also highlighted the need for school safety. The school district has two Unified police resources officers at Kearns High. Horsley said he wants more so they can help "be in the right place at the right time."
"Is that enough? I'm going to say no, I'm going to say. But we don't have the financial resources to provide additional assistance and support," he said.
Horsley said he's hoping the Legislature will provide some money for that.
"I think that's a statewide and nationwide problem, given the nature of the types of behaviors that we're seeing, really since the pandemic, a lot of those issues are outsized and particularly violent," he said.
Meanwhile, Horsley hopes the teacher can get back to the classroom quickly.
"She makes an incredible difference for the students at Kearns High School, and we'd like to see her back in the classroom. But that might take some time," Horsley said.
