Teacher suspended after fight with student
Usually teachers are expected to prevent classroom punch ups.
One US educator is being accused of doing exactly the opposite though. A 7th grader, Dominique Singleton, and the teacher known only as Ms Burns have both been suspended pending an investigation after a classroom argument turned into fist-fight.
The Detroit School District in Michigan has placed Ms Burns on paid administrative leave. Dominique could be permanently kicked out of her school.
Dominique told Fox News she was not responsible for the ugly scene, and her teacher had lost her cool after the classroom at MacKenzie Elementary School turned rowdy.
The confrontation allegedly began when a girl called Ms Burns a 'b-----'.
"That's when she got in front of me, saying I'm a 'B,' and she started calling me 'B," Singleton told Fox News.
"And I said, 'No, I didn't even say that.' She was like, 'Ok, 'B,' you got me 'F'd' up."
Video recorded on a student's phone shows the pair standing close together before the teacher appears to push the girl.
The classroom erupts into screams as both teacher and student grapple with each other at the front of the room.
They exchange punches before tumbling onto the floor at the foot of desks.
A spokesperson for the school district called the incident disturbing, and said an investigation was underway.
Dominique Singleton could face expulsion over the incident. It is not known how long Ms Burns will remain suspended.
