One high school student suffered a concussion and injured ribs from what was meant to be a fun exercise. Nyla Millikan, a 16-year-old junior at Westside High School, was hurt when a teacher shoved her to the ground during a pep rally while she was playing musical chairs on Friday.
She explained that the incident caused her to miss class this week. A video of the incident shows a man, identified as a teacher by Duval County Public Schools, grabbing Nyla Millikan and slamming her to the ground as they struggle for a chair during a game of musical chairs.
The teacher’s name has not been made public because he has not been charged with a crime.
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Nyla Millikan told First Coast News, “I pulled the chair a little bit, ran a little bit, laughed, sat down, but then it all happened to blur. I sat down, he grabbed me, and then pulled me, hitting me in the ground.”
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When the school called Nyla Millikan’s mother, Joanna Millikin, they informed her there was a scuffle, but her daughter told her otherwise.
According to Joanna Millikin, Nyla Millikan was “crying and in pain” when she got into her car that day. She claimed her daughter told her a teacher slammed her to the ground. She had to rush her to the emergency room since she was experiencing significant head and side pain.
According to the family, medical exams showed Nyla Millikan sustained a concussion and bruised ribs during the incident.
In a statement, the Duval County Public School District said that while the district’s Office of Professional Standards conducts an investigation, the staff member has been reassigned to tasks that did not involve student contact.
The district said it was unable to share any information because of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, according to the family, the goal is to demand accountability.
“No teacher should be putting their hands on nobody’s kid. I don’t care — I don’t care who it is,” Joanna Millikin said.
She also told News4JAX, “I want justice to be done, because ain’t no teacher should be that close to a student they didn’t know.”
“Nobody should even have to come or even have to deal with their kid going to the emergency room just for a teacher tackling their student over on the ground over musical chairs.”
Nyla Millikan’s family intends to pursue legal action, calling the teacher’s behavior “inexcusable.”
Attorney Gary Englander, with Englander Peebles, told News4JAX, “We have been retained by both Nyla and her mother, Joanna, to conduct an investigation into what occurred at the school. From the video, this incident should not have occurred. The teacher should never have put his hands on her and taken her to the ground. She has been injured. We are going to continue to work with the family and will take appropriate actions.”
