What happened to Tiwana Turner? High school teacher hospitalized after brutal attack by student
ROCKDALE COUNTY, GEORGIA: A ninth-grade student in Rockdale County, Georgia, has been charged with aggravated battery following a shocking fight with a high school teacher. Viral footage of the January 26 incident showed a student and English Language Arts instructor Tiwana Turner getting into a fight in a classroom at Heritage High School.
Turner sustained knee and leg injuries including a broken leg. On a GoFundMe page, she claimed that the student assaulted her while she was attempting to "redirect [...] off-task behavior. Responding to the incident and the recent uptick in violence against teachers, the president of the Georgia Federation of Teachers stated that she believes the student and parents should be held responsible.
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What happened to Tiwana Turner?
On Thursday, January 26, Tiwana Turner was reportedly filling in for a colleague when she confronted a student about her actions. The student apparently got up and started attacking her. She was rushed to the hospital after being knocked to the ground by the pupil and will reportedly need substantial rehabilitation before she can resume working.
In the footage of the incident, Turner can be seen attempting to diffuse the situation and stop the argument. She extends her hands to prevent the 14 to 15-year-old student from attacking her. Turner shoves her hand in the student's face when she clutches her hair. She is subsequently knocked to the ground and is thereafter seen being pulled away from the student.
'It was absolutely horrible'
Turner's friend shared a GoFundMe page on Facebook and wrote, "On yesterday, my dear friend for over 20 years, Tiwana Turner, was violently attacked by one of her students. The video of her attack went viral. It was absolute horrible. One of her friends have created a GoFund me account to help support her through her recovery. — with Tiwana Turner."
The video incensed Georgia Federation of Teachers President Verdaillia Turner, who told Fox 5 Atlanta that incidents like this led to the country-wide shortage of teachers. "Students are out of control […] there is no excuse for the violence […] there is no excuse for children who are coming into our school daily and wreaking havoc so other students cannot learn," she told the outlet.