Stockton substitute teacher sent to ER after alleged attack by 13-year-old student
STOCKTON — A substitute teacher in Stockton was sent to the emergency room after she was allegedly attacked by her student.
Nataley Martinez is a long-term substitute at John Adams Elementary School and was treated for a concussion, sprained wrist and bruising. She said this was not the first time the student threatened her.
"It is making me question if I want to continue and step into a classroom," she said.
Martinez is also months away from finishing up her degree at the University of the Pacific, so this job was part of her teaching hours to graduate.
"All I remember is like my glasses fell off and I was just being pulled in a circle, and I just kept feeling the punch on my head," she told CBS13.
Martinez spoke out about the attack for the first time with CBS13. She said she had been covering for another teacher at John Adams Elementary School on Tuesday during her prep period.
Since it was not her class, she decided to give the students a free period to relax and socialize with each other but stay off their phones.
Martinez said one student was lying on the ground while on her cell phone.
"She was like 'F you, I don't need to listen to you. You're just a sub. You only get paid $15 a day. I don't need to listen to you,' " Martinez said.
Martinez said the girl refused to get up and sit at her desk.
"That's when she started with the threats like 'I am going to kill you, Ms. Martinez. I am going to kill you,' " she said.
Martinez pressed the panic button in her classroom and the vice principal showed up. Martinez said the vice principal asked her to take the kids out of the classroom with her, but her alleged attacker somehow also ended up there.
"Never once did I fight back. Never once did I try and strike her," she said. "I was just trying to cover my face."
Martinez's mother said her daughter should have been protected.
"When I got to the school, she had already gone on the ambulance," Martinez's mom said. "They didn't even know where she was at. And I was like 'What do you mean?' "
Martinez claims this was not the first time she was threatened by the 13-year-old.
"Prior to the day, on Monday, she actually made a threat against me and I reported it to the school," Martinez said.
The Stockton Unified School District said Martinez never reported a rumor of threats, but the school suspended the student on Monday for knocking on a door and cussing. She was back in Martinez's first and second-period classes on Tuesday. The altercation happened during fifth period.
"I remember one of the students ran in and gave me a hug and said 'You are going to be OK,' " Martinez said.
Now, Martinez is recovering and rethinking as she questions the safety on campus and her career.
"Did I make the right choice going into education? Did I make the right choice going into that class? And where was the support? And I didn't have it. I never had any support with the admin staff there," Martinez said.
Martinez told CBS13 that on Tuesday morning, she had reminded the vice principal of the threat that Stockton Unified claims was never reported, but to her knowledge, nothing was ever done. She was supposed to start a new job at the school directly across the street next week, but now she is rethinking this.
Stockton Unified sent CBS13 this statement regarding the incident:
"SUSD has been informed of a physical altercation at one of our campuses. There was an incident between a long-term substitute teacher and a student. The site contacted SUSD Department of Public Safety to engage in the situation. DPS notified the district. Officers are performing a full investigation and appropriate charges and discipline are being applied.
The safety of all our students, teachers and staff is a top priority."
Martinez said the University of the Pacific has been very supportive in all of this and has been talking with Stockton Unified about the safety for all of its student teachers. UOP provided this statement to CBS13:
"We learned about the attack from our student the day after it happened. We immediately reached out to make sure she was safe and receiving all the mental and physical health and academic support she needs. The health and safety of our students is always our first priority. Within hours, we initiated a top-level dialogue with SUSD leadership to ensure that any of our students assigned to SUSD schools will be working in safe, attentive environments at all times. Those conversations will continue next week."
Since the student is a minor, Stockton Unified could not give any details on the investigation or what would happen to the student accused of assaulting her teacher.
