Video captures high school student 'body slamming' teacher who confiscated his cellphone

Storified by CBC News Community· Tue, Jan 27 2015 03:54:40

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If you're worried that a teen in your life may be overly-attached to his or her smartphone because they can't stop texting at the dinner table, well... you may want to cut the kid some slack.



As the story of a New Jersey high school student who attacked his teacher over in-class phone usage rules last week proves, it could always be a lot worse.

Student body-slams teacher for confiscating his phonepSLy9HdWdCQW7r_F5fdWPw





According to police, a unnamed ninth-grade student at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, N.J. "wrapped his arms around the teacher and knocked him into an empty desk, then threw him to the ground in front of other students" in an attempt to retrieve a cell phone that the teacher had taken away.



The attack, which took place during a physics class at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, was filmed by another person in the classroom and uploaded to YouTube later that day.



The 23-second-long video spread like wildfire across the web this weekend, racking up more than 1 million views in a matter of days before it was taken down by YouTube Monday evening.



Many copies of the video, like the one seen above, do remain online — some of them boasting The Associated Press reports that a 16-year-old boy is facing aggravated assault charges this week following an incident in which a 62-year-old high school teacher was allegedly attacked on the job for confiscating a student's cellphone.According to police, a unnamed ninth-grade student at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, N.J. "wrapped his arms around the teacher and knocked him into an empty desk, then threw him to the ground in front of other students" in an attempt to retrieve a cell phone that the teacher had taken away.The attack, which took place during a physics class at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, was filmed by another person in the classroom and uploaded to YouTube later that day.The 23-second-long video spread like wildfire across the web this weekend, racking up more than 1 million views in a matter of days before it was taken down by YouTube Monday evening.Many copies of the video, like the one seen above, do remain online — some of them boasting hundreds of thousands and even millions of additional views on their own.

LiveLeak.com - Murrica, Hell Yea! - Student slams Teacher for taking his phone awayLiveLeak.com





“We took a statement from the teacher today. After that, we went out and found the juvenile and arrested him," said Rodriguez to



According to Paterson city school district spokesperson Terry Corallo, the boy is now suspended from school but will be receiving home instruction while awaiting a disciplinary hearing to determine “an appropriate, educational placement” for the rest of his school year.



Online reaction to the shocking video that propelled this story to virality has been mixed.



While many are indeed Paterson police Department Capt. Heriberto Rodriguez confirmed to a local news outlet on Friday that the teen who appeared in the video had been arrested at his home earlier that day.“We took a statement from the teacher today. After that, we went out and found the juvenile and arrested him," said Rodriguez to The Paterson Press , noting that they boy was charged with third-degree aggravated assault.According to Paterson city school district spokesperson Terry Corallo, the boy is now suspended from school but will be receiving home instruction while awaiting a disciplinary hearing to determine “an appropriate, educational placement” for the rest of his school year.Online reaction to the shocking video that propelled this story to virality has been mixed.While many are indeed shocked and disgusted by the student's behaviour, some are also placing blame on teachers, parents, and modern school systems for failing to discipline students effectively.

Our schools are seriously lacking discipline, and parents are to blame. And people wonder why kids don't learn.. http://t.co/WXvVlgWuUrMichael Eaves

Horrid result when teacher confiscates cell phone http://t.co/kPGfVM3jbd. The Student PARENTS did NOT teach him, "how to respect teachers".James Grey

Kids are beating up teachers over their cell phones! Why is this tolerated by our culture? http://t.co/tNEnlcvQ8d http://t.co/nyNkFs7IDoEric Thompson Show

Every single kid in that room should be accountable for their INACTIONS. Their lack of decency to stop this... http://t.co/86G6sDE2psMichele Godwin

@GovChristie very very sad seeing what happened in Peterson with student punching a teacher over a cellphone. Kids all need expelled. Sadaskyosi

Some on Twitter -- mostly students themselves -- say the teacher shouldn't have attempted to take away a student's property in the first place, or that he should have given it back to avoid confrontation when the boy became irate.

@VSOTahmina the teacher should've gave his phone back and just reported himGerardo Martinez

@Mr_King10 @LijaTwin They should fore the teacher for theft! No pension! What gave him thr right to steal phone?!?!?!ref reviewer

The teacher shouldn't have taken his phone http://t.co/7NxWpIH9E0Jazzmin Horan

Others are arguing that students shouldn't be able to use phones in class at all — and, of course, that violent assault shouldn't be tolerated regardless of the circumstances.

Why are these kids slamming their teachers on the ground over a phone they shouldn't be using in class anyways?!Jasmine

Horrid result when teacher confiscates cell phone http://t.co/u7h8prIXkL Why do students need cell phones in class anyway? #pjnet #tcotRobert

This kid deserves jail time for assault. teachers should be able to confiscate any phone taken out during class.... http://t.co/wIVqy8MynjMamaDeFuego

David Cozart, principal of operations at John F. Kennedy High School, clarified the school's position on cellphone use during class to the the Paterson Press.



Sudents are allowed to use cellphones in class for academic purposes, according to Cozard, but staff are permitted to take away the devices and return them at the end of the day if students use them for reasons un-related to their studies.



What are your thoughts on high school students cellphones using cellphones in class? Weigh in below or by tweeting us at @CBCCommunity.

