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Feb 5, 2009 5:00 am US/Central
Teacher In Taped Fight With Student Speaks Out
BALTIMORE (CBS) ―
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Jolita Berry, a Baltimore City, Maryland, teacher, is speaking out after a former student was found not guilty of assaulting her.
CBS
A Baltimore City teacher is speaking out after a former student is found not guilty of assaulting her.
CBS station WJZ-TV in Baltimore spoke with Jolita Berry who says she did nothing wrong and the infamous cell phone video tells the whole story.
"I didn't hit her at all. I didn't hit her. That's what bothers me the most. That was what was bothering me the most--when I went into work people were thinking that I actually put my hands on a child," Berry said. "They put us up for open season. It doesn't send a good message to teachers, nor does it send a good message to students."
A cell phone captured Berry and a Reginald F. Lewis High School student in a fight in the middle of class.
"I just wanted her to get off my face," Berry said. "As you can see, I was kicking and trying to get away from her. She was just punching me in the face repeatedly."
The video was a hit on the web and sparked a flurry of national media attention.
During two days of testimony, fellow teachers and students took the stand.
One teacher said Berry was injured and not the student. But other witnesses say Berry delivered the first blow and that she taunted the students with profanity.
Berry denies that claim.
"I hate to call people liars; I don't do that. But they didn't tell the truth," she said.
City schools are not talking about the verdict, but public reaction is mixed.
"Will it open the door? The door has been opened. You know what they do on school buses? They hit drivers, they kick drivers, they break out windows," said bus driver Howard Spinney.
"They don't have anything in place to really tell them how to respond to these kind of things," said Sherry Massey. "I teach my daughter that violence is not correct but what do you do when someone attacks you?"
Berry says while the physical damage has healed, the incident also caused her emotional damage.
The student was found guilty of disrupting school activity. She will be sentenced next month on those charges.
Congressman Elijah Cummings issued a statement about school violence.
"While justice has been decided in this particular case, we must not turn away without also resolving the broader case of the systemic violence that is plaguing our schools. This tragic incident was instrumental in opening eyes nationwide to the problems that are distracting our children in their day to day lives. We must continue to come together as a community and help put an end to school violence.
"Dr. Nancy Grasmick and I have hosted two school violence prevention summits, bringing together teachers, parents, students, and community leaders to have frank discussions about the extent of the problem and to brainstorm solutions to help make our schools a safer environment for young people. The responses at these events have been overwhelming, and we are confident that—by coming together and respecting every party involved—we will be successful in achieving our goal of safe, violence-free schools. We must have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to violence in our schools.
"While the road ahead of us is a long one, we have by no means embarked on an impossible journey. My interactions with high school students, their parents, and their teachers have given me hope for a new day for our public schools. I look to the example of the effects of the Virtues Program at Kenwood High School, where students, teachers, and administrators abide by 52 character traits to improve communication skills and prevent their interactions from escalating into violence.
"My thoughts and prayers are with both Ms. Jolita Berry and the student involved in this incident as they move forward and continue the healing process."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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