Video and photos from an anti-racism protest that turned violent at a Southern California high school show a school security officer kneeling on a student’s neck.
The incident took place Tuesday around 11.30am at the Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino during a scheduled ‘peaceful protest’ involving students.
According to school officials, the group became ‘unruly’ and refused requests from faculty to return to class, prompting a security officer to deploy pepper spray on the group.
Video shows the moment an unidentified teacher grapples with a student outside of a classroom as security officers stand by and other students attempt to break up the altercation.
Students were holding a ‘peaceful walk-out’ at the high school over calls to remove ‘racist staff and educators,’ according to a post made by one of the organizers.
Video and photos purportedly from an anti-racism protest that turned violent at a Southern California high school show a school security officer kneeling on a student’s neck
This is the unidentified teacher who grapples with a student outside of a classroom as security officers stand by and other students attempt to break up the altercation
‘My personal encounters with him [the teacher] have included verbal assault, sexual harassment, discrimination based on race and religion, bullying, as well as the push of political beliefs with consequences if not complied with,’ said Gyhana Woods, a student.
Woods said she and and a friend made plans for the protest over ignored reports to school administrators regarding everything from discrimination to verbal assault to discrimination.
Woods in her post alleged that the protest only turned violent after the unidentified staff member from the video attacked a student.
‘The protest turned violent after one of our staff assaulted a student,’ Woods wrote.
‘From there, 4 other innocent arrests were made as well as an entire group of CHILDREN being pepper sprayed with no medical attention,’ she said.
The student said the majority of students were able to stay ‘on the right track’ even after the altercations involving the teacher and pepper spray incident.
Woods included numerous photos and videos from Tuesday’s walk-out and said they serve as proof of the peaceful nature of the students and how violent things became.
In one of the videos, a student can be heard speaking to the crowd, advocating for the group to use their voices and fight back against ‘racist’ teachers.
Another picture allegedly shows a school security guard kneeling on a student’s neck. Neither the student nor the officer have been identified, however.
‘This story still deserves to be heard to reach kids facing these same struggles. I hope we all find peace and realize that by the grace of God our fight continues to finalize our message,’ Woods continued.
‘School should be a safe space, not a battlefield,’ she wrote.
Another angle of the moment students
This is Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino, California where a ‘peaceful protest’ turned violent Tuesday afternoon
Another video posted to social media shows the moment a student is locked into an altercation with a teacher as security officers stand by.
The pair argue back and forth before the teen appears to swat the teacher’s phone away, prompting the adult to throw up his hands.
Other children then step in and appear to get in on the action or break up the fight.
The security guards seen in the first several seconds stand by behind the educator.
Another angle of that incident caught the moment pepper spray was deployed during the fight between the students and the teacher.
In that clip, posted to Instagram by Everything San Bernardino, one security guard tackles a teen as the crowd screams.
The videos have now prompted outrage from the community, both on the side of the students and in support of the security officer’s actions.
In total, school district officials said two students were sent to the nurse’s office for examination and there were no further injuries.
The high school was put on a Secure and Hold status for just over an hour until 12.30pm when authorities reevaluated the situation and deemed there were no additional safety concerns.
District representatives told KTLA they planned to bring in additional personnel and police officers Wednesday.
Officials also said they are investigating the claims made against the teacher that prompted the protest.
This is the moment an altercation broke out between a teacher and a student at the San Bernardino high school Tuesday during a protest
The pair argue back and forth before the student appears to swat the teacher or faculty members phone away, prompting the adult to throw up his hands
Another view of the altercation between the student and the teacher at the high school
DailyMail.com reached out to the San Bernardino Police Department who confirmed the matter is being resolved internally within the district and the School Police Department.
In a statement to local media outlets, Maria Garcia, Communications Officer for the San Bernardino Unified School District said they are working with students and staff.
‘We have plans to give students opportunities to dialogue with each other and staff so they can express their viewpoints in a manner that is constructive and conductive to greater understanding,’ said Garcia.
‘We discourage students from engaging in non-peaceful protests because they disrupt teaching and learning and can have negative, unintended consequences,’ she continued.
