'He was terrified': Parents speak out in wake of shocking video showing assault of teacher
Incident took place at Lord Dufferin Public School on March 19
Less than a week after a shocking video surfaced online showing two students attacking a teacher at a school in Regent Park, some parents say they are afraid for the safety of their children.
Murshida Samsunmueen say her 13-year-old son was in the classroom when the assault happened.
"He was terrified. He was like, 'Can we move out of this city?'" she told CBC Toronto.
The incident took place inside a classroom at Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School on March 19, according to police.
In the video, two students can be seen grabbing the teacher and throwing punches at his head repeatedly. The teacher appears to be pushing the students off in self-defence.
The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and two 13-year-old boys have been charged with assault.
When the video surfaced last week, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) called the events seen in the video "deeply concerning."
Ryan Bird, a spokesperson for the TDSB, told CBC Toronto on Tuesday that the teacher has not yet returned to work.
Violence happening 'for a while'
This is not the first time Samsunmueen's son has witnessed violence at the school. She says he was attacked by another student in a classroom last year.
"The principal didn't even tell me, I had to literally run to the school to find out," she said, adding violence at the school is "not a today problem, this problem has been happening for a while."
Bird said he could not speak specifically about that incident last year, but he said a fight on school property would "typically" see parents notified. Bird added that a new principal began working at the school in September.
Lenka Gazova, the head of the parent council at the school, said in this latest incident the school is "following all the procedures the TDSB has," but some parents, including her husband Richard Gallo, say it's the school's lack of resources and funding that is creating a problem.
"It's a beautiful school ... There's a lot of harmony in that school, but the thing is when there's conflict what are we going to do about it? We can't suck the resources out," he said.
In fact, Gallo — whose two young children attend the school — said he often asks the teachers for a "wish list" and uses his own money to buy supplies for the classrooms, including boxes of tissues during flu season.
Teachers concerned for safety
Joy Lachica, the president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto, told CBC News that teachers are expressing more and more concern for their safety.
And she agrees with Gallo that the root of the problem is a lack of resources to prevent violence in schools.
"For many years now, we've had fewer guidance counsellors, we've had fewer mental health supports and we absolutely need psychologists and those people to support the needs in classrooms."
With files from Greg Ross