VIDEO: Austin ISD assistant principal, student seen wrestling at high school
AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin ISD parent says she plans to take legal action against the district.
Video taken on Sept. 18 shows a 10th-grade student and assistant principal wrestling in the restroom of Navarro Early College High School.
The student says this incident happened during a restroom break between classes.
"I was in the restroom and when I was in the stall I tried to shut the door behind me. As I am shutting the door I feel like somebody push it open, and I turn around, and it is the AP, and he tells everybody to get out the restroom," says the student.
The 10th-grader says he attempted to leave the restroom, but was pushed back into the stall.
"Then I maneuvered my way out of the stall, and he put his hand around my throat and then after we were wrestling, as I was trying to get out, the restroom, he grabbed me by my hoodie because it was tied around my neck. He grabbed me, and then I started yelling, and he grabbed me by my hair," says the student.
He says that is when another student started recording.
Shortly after, another school official came in and broke up the altercation.
"They just suspended me, and then they said I can come back the next day," says the student.
According to the student's mom, the school suspended her son for having a vape.
"No, I didn't have a vape", says the student.
"That was not true they never found a vape on him, but that was their excuse," says the parent.
The parent says she saw the video after her son returned to school following the suspension.
"I was proud of him actually because, like I said, I would not have been able to handle it like that. He did better than I thought he would, or I would, and I was pissed he has got his hands on my son," says the parent.
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She says she informed school officials that she wanted to press charges, and the district scheduled a removal hearing for the student this week for the altercation.
"When we went today, he was just refusing, they didn't want to talk at all because we have a lawyer," says the parent.
She says the school said they would need to have a lawyer present as well and would have to reschedule the hearing.
"I don’t think they thought I was going to go to school, and I wasn’t going to be a concerned parent and just let it slide like I’m sure a lot of parents do, but I did," says the parent.
AISD released a statement on the incident:
"Today, Oct. 2, Austin ISD administration became aware of a video between a Navarro Early College High School Assistant Principal and a student that occurred last month. The Austin ISD Talent Strategy team will conduct a thorough administrative investigation while Austin ISD Police investigate the incident for any criminal behavior."