A staff member has been removed from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Albany Park following a physical altercation with a student, according to Chicago Public Schools.
Video footage of the incident, published by WGN, shows a staff member and a student holding onto one another in a struggle. The staff member then appears to hold the student by the neck and shove him to the ground, pushing his face into the floor with the palm of his hand as other students yell in shock and confusion.
In the video, the staff member physically leads the student out a side exit of the school’s cafeteria and appears to force him to the ground outside. A second video, also published by WGN, shows the staff member standing above the student, who is crouched on the ground.
Chicago Public Schools Senior Press Secretary Samantha Hart didn’t answer direct questions about the incident, such as the staff member’s role at the school and the age of the student involved.
The Office of Student Protections and Title IX is investigating the incident, and the staff member involved has been removed during the investigation, according to a letter sent by Roosevelt High School Principal Daniel Kramer to Roosevelt students and families. After the investigation, school officials will decide if the staff member can return to the school.
The letter, which was sent in English and Spanish, didn’t describe the incident, only saying that a staff member “engaged improperly with a student.”
