Teacher is placed on paid leave after being caught on video shoving a middle school student into a desk before wrestling him to the floor
- Akenga Smith has been placed on paid administrative leave after altercation
- He was caught on video shoving student into desk at Glenn Hills Middle School
- The video then shows the teacher wrestling the boy to the floor of a classroom
- Incident started after boy was asked to leave classroom for being disrespectful
- Officials from Richmond County Schools said Smith is now being investigated
A shocking video shows the moment a Georgia middle school teacher shoved a student into a desk before wrestling him to the floor.
The altercation took place inside a class room at Glenn Hills Middle School in Augusta.
In the video, a student is seen trying to push the teacher, who has been identified as Akenga Smith, first as other students are heard screaming in the background.
Glenn Hills Middle School teacher, Akenga Smith (pictured in burgundy), of Georgia, has been placed on paid administrative leave after he was caught on video shoving a student into a desk before wrestling him to the floor
Within a matter of moments, the teacher wrestles (pictured) the boy to the ground
Smith, who teaches science and social studies to sixth-graders, is then seen shoving the student into a desk, prompting the boy to lunge back at him.
Within a matter of moments, the teacher wrestles the boy to the ground, picks him back up and sends him out of the classroom.
Officials from Richmond County Schools said Smith has been removed from the classroom and an investigation is underway.
Smith has been placed on paid leave as officials investigate.
According to WJBF, before the altercation began, the unnamed student was asked to leave the classroom for being disrespectful.
No further details were released.
Smith then picks the student off the ground (left) and sends him out of the classroom. Officials from Richmond County Schools said Smith has been removed from the classroom and an investigation is underway. Smith has been placed on paid leave as officials investigate
It’s unclear if charges will be filed against Smith. As of Monday evening, there were no pending charges against the teacher. Pictured is the Glenn Hills Middle School in Augusta, Georgia
The student’s grandfather, Todd Simmons, told the station that ‘a man doesn’t put his hands on a child, I don’t care what the situation was about’.
Other officials said Smith should have gotten outside help by using their ‘panic buttons’.
It’s unclear if charges will be filed against Smith.
As of Monday evening, there were no pending charges against the teacher.