Houston Teacher Apologizes for Videotaped Beating
Sherri Davis said she is 'very regretful' and 'sorry.'
May 14, 2010 — -- The Texas teacher who was fired for allegedly slapping and kicking a 13-year-old student apologized for the incident Friday and the pain it caused.
"I am without excuse for my actions. I am very regretful and sorry that this incident has ever occurred," Sherri Davis said, according to ABC's Houston affiliate KTRK. "If I could go back again, I would do things much, much differently."
The student, Isaiah Johnson, said he thought his teacher was "playing around" when she backed him into a corner at his Houston-area school. But then he quickly realized it was no joke.
"She started beating on her chest and she threw the desk and kicked the book," Isaiah told "Good Morning America" Thursday. "I was ... frightened."
Davis then slapped and kicked Isaiah for nearly a minute.
A lawyer representing Davis said today that "her actions are more regrettable that a young man was involved," according to KTRK
"The teachers didn't break it up," Isaiah said earlier this week. "They were just standing there, and she just stopped so I got up, and then I looked around and then I left."
Although the alleged incident took place weeks ago, a recently released cell phone video that captured the attack has sparked outrage across the nation.
Jamie's House Charter School, a school for students at risk where many of them have disciplinary problems, fired Davis, but Isaiah's mother, Alesha Johnson, wants her put behind bars.
"It's horrifying," said Johnson, who didn't know about the attack before seeing the video. "He had bruises on his side where she was kicking him. He had a knot on his head, and he had a black eye.
"There is nothing they can say ... a grown-up beating on a child is not right," she said.
Police are investigating, and according to KTRK, they have yet to decide if charges will be filed.
While accounts of teachers attacking students are relatively rare, school violence in general is on the rise. More than 150,000 teachers reported they were attacked by studens t in the 2007-2008 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
School Violence: Tips for Parents
In the midst of what "Good Morning America" parenting contributor and psychologist Ann Pleshette Murphy called an "epidemic of bullying" and violence in schools, Murphy said parents can take steps to help make sure their kids stay safe at school.
Get Involved
It's impossible to fix problems if you do not know they exist, so, Murphy said it's important to have "connection, connection, connection" with the school.
Ask Kids About the Environment
No one will know about the environment of the school better than those living in it, your kids. Giving them an adult to talk to allows kids to share things that may make them uncomfortable.
"You can't just put the kids in school and say, 'You take care of these problems,'" Murphy said.