A Georgia football coach and teacher is facing backlash after throwing an 11-year-old student across a classroom following an exchange which involved sexual remarks.
The incident, which was captured on video, has gone on to spark loads of outrage on social media.
Che’Nelle Russel, who happens to be the mother of the sixth-grader, received the video on Friday which showed her son, TJ, being violently shoved by coach BeTreylin Elder at DeRenne Middle School in Savannah.
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In the footage, Elder forcefully pushed TJ, who landed on his back and suffered severe pains as his colleagues watched on.
The teacher then approached the boy in the classroom and towered over him as he scrambled to his feet.
Russel told Atlanta News First that the altercation started after Elder made inappropriate claims about her and her son.
Teacher in DeRenne Middle school resigns after his video went viral for throwing a student across the class. pic.twitter.com/rD4keXG5iM
— MayGist (@MayGistv) December 12, 2024
“My son went to the front of the classroom to approach the teacher, letting him know, ‘Hey, stop talking about my mom’,” she said.
“The teacher then came closer to my son. My son again said, ‘Stop talking about my mom,’ and also wanted to call me. From that point, he was then grabbed and thrown to the floor like nothing,” she added.
One of TJ’s classmates stated that the comments were sexual in nature, with Elder allegedly joking, “He left his shoes at TJ’s mom’s house,”as per Fox 8 Live.
Russel says she has never met the teacher but called his remarks appalling and unprofessional.
After the incident, Elder then reportedly pushed TJ out of the classroom in front of the assistant principal.
Russel was notified by the school and later took her son to the emergency room, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and several bruises.
She says TJ is now afraid to return to school, though reports indicate that Elder resigned after the video came out.
“He needs to be placed in jail. He hurt my boy. I’m heartbroken because I wouldn’t do that to my child. His father wouldn’t do that to him. So for him to take the initiative to do that is sickening,” Russel said.
“’I hate that he had to be made an example out of to get a sick individual out of a schoolhouse, but something needs to change,’ the boy’s mom added.
The Savannah Chatham County Public School System left a statement on the incident which read: “On December 6, 2024, an incident involving a teacher and student at DeRenne Middle School was reported to district personnel.”
“Please be assured that this was an isolated incident and we take matters like this extremely seriously. The safety and well-being of our student population are of the utmost importance to us, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all”, the school said.
After the report, thorough statements were collected, and the elder was immediately reassigned to another location to ensure they had no interaction with students.
The teacher submitted his resignation last weekend, which was taken in and accepted by SCCPSS Human Resources.
