"The way he pounced on her and the way she fell backwards and smacked her head, it was a severe concussion."
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 18, 2022. It has since been updated.
A teacher from South Florida had to be taken to the hospital after she was attacked by a 5-year-old student, leaving her "dazed" and "unresponsive," officials said, according to NBC News.
The unidentified instructor was found by first responders “sitting on the ground against the wall" and "appearing to be in a faint state" at Pines Lakes Elementary School, which is close to 15 miles southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale, according to a heavily redacted Pembroke Pines Police Department incident report.
The victim was "clearly weak and dazed," able to "blink and breathe regularly but at no point was able to vocally respond or show signs of a response," the report said.
Apparently, the troubling incident took place when a 5-year-old boy had to be removed from class for “throwing things around” and “flipping the chairs,” police said. The young lad was taken to a "cooling room" where the alleged attack on the teacher took place.
Florida teacher beaten and hospitalized after attack by 5-YEAR-OLD student, police say.
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) March 7, 2022
The victim could "blink and breathe regularly" but was not able to "vocally respond" following beating at Pines Lakes Elementary School in Pembroke Pines: @davidkli👇https://t.co/weFvuHy1zb
The teacher, who was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood has since been released, officials said.
Meanwhile, the young suspect is still being investigated for possible "aggravated assault with hands, fist and feet," but it is highly unlikely that he'll be criminally prosecuted, a police spokesman said, adding that prosecutors would have a hard time showing that this 5-year-old had the ability distinguish right from wrong.
The victim, who in her late 30s or early 40s, is about 5-foot-4 with a slender frame, Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco shared. She suffered a concussion and other injuries after the "enraged" special education student who weighs between 50 and 60 pounds, attacked her, the union chief revealed.
The instructor had been leading an "exceptional student education" class with a "group of children with some type of special needs or special disability, with all kinds of different diagnoses," according to Fusco.
I'm surprised there were no cameras in the isolation room/quiet room. I'd have to see that fight.
— SALSOL Musically (@saso_lyrics100) March 7, 2022
"The way he pounced on her and the way she fell backwards and smacked her head, it was a severe concussion," Fusco said. "She's got some other bodily injuries from him jumping on her, attacking her, kicking, punching, biting that's going to lead to surgery."
While Broward County Public Schools officials referred all questions to police, the district did share a message that Principal Susan Sasse sent to parents and staff, acknowledging there had been "an incident that occurred in school" which required "a staff member to be transported to a local medical facility".
"At all times during the incident, our campus was secured," Sasse reported. "As always, the health, safety and well being of our students and staff continues to be my highest priority."
There are about 800 students in the school, who range in age from pre-kindergarten through the fifth grade.
References:
Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Catherine Falls Commercial
