Following Incident At Brashear High School, Union President Says Teachers Are Fed Up
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Brashear High School student continues his fight to recover.
A brutal attack inside the school's hallway sent him to the hospital last month, and his family told KDKA that they're sickened to hear about another incident inside the school.
KDKA Investigator Meghan Schiller talked to the family, who said this is proof that the district needs to ramp up security or take action.
"There's no way that I can understand there's not been some sort of traumatic brain injury that's occurred," said Eric Pettus, family spokesperson.
Pettus told KDKA's Meghan Schiller that his cousin is going back and forth to doctors. Life changed for the teen in the hallway that day, he said.
"He's not doing well. He's actually not able to attend school at all at this point just because his injuries are so severe," said Pettus.
The January fight left his cousin lying motionless on the floor and unconscious. A fellow student is facing criminal charges for kicking him multiple times in the head and neck after picking him up and slamming him on the ground.
News broke late Wednesday about another issue inside Brashear. A verbal altercation led to a student shoving a teacher. According to the district, the teacher wound up injured and at urgent care.
"It's become far too prevalent and that is not what we want for our schools, our teachers, our students. No, it has to stop," said Nina Esposito-Visgitis, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
She told KDKA that teachers are fed up. Three already called her this week wanting to quit.
"It has to stop," said Esposito-Visgitis. "Schools are places of learning, should be places of joy, learning and peace. This is not what we want for our schools and our students and our educators."
One nonprofit looking to take action is A+ Schools. James Fogarty's two children attend Pittsburgh Public Schools, and he's hoping community intervention in the hallways can help.
"If what we're currently doing is leading to that, we got to change the system," said Fogarty, executive director of A+ Schools. "And for the child that was the offender in that situation, how do we get that child what he or she needs so that that doesn't ever happen again?"
Pittsburgh Public Schools did not respond to our request for an interview Thursday or answer our questions regarding safety by news time.
