Sandra Hadsock had taught high school students in Florida for nearly 40 years when she was involved in the first physical confrontation of her career. When the teacher was confronted by a male teen student – who stood many inches taller than her – and the incident was caught on video, educators around the country were outraged. No one came to the teacher’s aid, and she was forced to decide between defending herself or suffering the assault that was surely coming her way. Hadsock has been placed on indefinite administrative leave, and she was arrested directly following the events. Amidst the chaos, you can hear the male student shouting, “She hit me! Did you get that?”
Because of advances in technology, many incidents occurring between teachers and students have been captured on film. While some cases are easy to determine, others are still shrouded in mystery. Did Sandra Hadsock have a right to throw the first punch, or was she bound by her duty as a teacher to non-violently diffuse the situation? The days of teachers threatening to call their disruptive students’ parents are long over. Some parents are completely uninvolved with their childrens’ lives while others simply can’t get away from work. As a result, students are becoming more and more aware of what they can get away with.
Hadsock, who was named the ‘teacher of the year’ in her district last year, may not be coming back to work. The student involved in the incident was not suspended, expelled other otherwise disciplined.
