Ypsilanti Community Schools
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Published June 13, 2024
A Ypsilanti Community Schools employee was fired after surveillance footage showed him strangling a student.
The Daily Caller said, “Surveillance footage captured the moment a coach apparently began choking a student with a t-shirt in the hallway after the student refused to do some pushups as punishment for messing around in the hallways. The alleged assault occurred on June 4 [2024] at Ypsilanti Middle School … [The student’s] parents reported the alleged incident to police.”
The following video was published by ABC 13 News. Graphic warning: violent imagery.
By all media accounts, the video doesn’t appear to have any audio. Whether the student cried out is inconclusive, but employees in a nearby hallway cannot be seen rushing to help the student. The district initially refused to provide the footage to the student’s family; however, the Ypsilanti Police Department was able to obtain and share the recorded incident.
According to Fox 2 News, “Attorney Jordan Vahdat is representing the student and his family and says they plan to send the school district a litigation notice to hold them accountable — but they also want to meet with the district.”
Superintendent Dr. Alena Zachery-Ross sent a letter to parents that was published by Fox 2. The statement says, in part:
“As soon as we were made aware of the incident, we took swift and decisive action. We immediately contacted social services authorities and began cooperating with local law enforcement. Such actions are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our district. Effective immediately, the employee is no longer working at the school district and is not permitted to enter school property or attend school activities.”
As of publication, the unnamed coach, who also served as a paraeducator, has not been charged with a crime, and the student has not returned to school.
The School Board Watchlist will continue monitoring issues in this district. Please send tips, updates, and information on Ypsilanti Community Schools to [email protected].
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Ypsilanti Public Schools has 3,721 students enrolled in Pre-K through 12 across 15 schools.
