Teacher describes attack by teen

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Two Buffalo teachers have been attacked by students in just two days.

Wednesday, a second-grade teacher suffered a head injury when she was kicked in the head by a student.

The most recent incident happened Wednesday morning in the weight room at Riverside High School. A 16-year-old freshman girl could barely be restrained after lunging at her boyfriend.

Social studies teacher Marc Bruno said, "Then she started wrestling with the other teacher. I was grabbing her legs and when she let up, she kicked her legs and hit me in my head. If this girl would have got to this student, and now that I know she had a knife, I believe she would have used it on him because she kept coming back."

The 16-year-old girl was taken away in handcuffs and charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and harassment.

Bruno said, "Students get involved in violent acts, they are just returned to the school. It happens all the time at Riverside. They get in fights, they're back in a few days. They get in fights, they're back in a few days. It's like a revolving door."

This incident happened just hours after a 7-year-old boy kicked a female teacher in the head Wednesday at School 90. That teacher was carried out on a stretcher. In the case of a second grader, early intervention and counseling may help prevent a life of violence.

Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore said, "That's what we have to concentrate on if a student is having a problem in those grades, it's easier to correct them than when they get into the high schools."

"I think students are becoming more violent. There is a lot more violence in the community. I mean, this isn't just something that comes out of thin air. If there are assaults, they have to prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because if one student gets away with it, the other students become fearful and then all the rest of the students feel that they can do the same thing," Rumore added.

Bruno said, "Our security team is probably one of the best security teams I've ever seen. If anything we probably need twice as many security guards at the school."

Bruno added that in this instance, the attack happened so quickly, teachers had to step in.