An incident at a Florida elementary school has left one teacher injured.
The confusing part of the story is that the teacher was attacked by a child who was just 5 years old. The child allegedly punched and kicked his teacher, Trisha Meadows, to the point where she was unresponsive and had to be carried out of the building on a stretcher.
Meadows was taken to a nearby hospital by first responders.
The incident took place at Pine Lakes Elementary School on Wednesday. It began when two students were becoming violent. The teacher radioed school staff saying that she needed backup support in the classroom during the disturbance.
Pembroke Pines police arrived on the scene and found Trisha Meadows barely unresponsive. According to a police report obtained by WPLG Local 10, she was "sitting on the ground against the wall … appearing to be in a faint state."
The report continued, saying that "she was clearly weak and dazed. She then began coughing and dry heaving." The officer noted that she had to be put in a recovery position to prevent her from choking.
"I attempted to get a response from [the victim] by asking if she could hear me or feel me touching her arm to which I didn't get a response," he wrote. "[She] continued to blink and breathe regularly but at no point was able to vocally respond or show signs of a response."
Staff told police that the incident began when two students, ages 4 and 5, began throwing things and flipping over chairs. According to what they told police, the children were throwing things at the teachers, as well. The 5-year-old child was removed from the classroom and taken to a smaller room so the child could calm down. However, things escalated into a violent attack on the teacher.
Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco told WSVN that the teacher has been attacked three times by the same student. "She has been hospitalized several times by this student. It’s not this first time, not the second time, it’s the third time," Fusco said. "The district has failed. They need to get in there and when the teachers are saying, ‘I’ve got this happening,’ whether it’s one time. It should never get past one time when it’s that severe of rage and violence."
A parent who has a child in Meadows' class spoke about how well-liked the injured teacher is: "When I say I trust this woman with my child, that's a second mom. I trust her with my child — amazing woman, and it has me distraught that something like this could happen to her."
The incident is still under investigation, but the child was not taken into custody. The Broward Teachers Union says it is "unlikely" that Meadows will return to the school.
