Brittany Walker
Feb. 5 2009
1:15 p.m.
Jolita Berry a teacher at Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore, Maryland was video taped on a cell phone being assaulted by one of her students. Berry was shown pinned to the floor while being punched repeatedly at the same time. What happened before the cell-phone photographer got rolling is perhaps the more disturbing part of this case. Former employees and students testified for the defense that not only had Berry thrown the first punch in the brawl, she had a history of engaging in verbal fisticuffs with students and failing to maintain control of her classroom. There was a testimony where she was presumed as "ghetto" and often played her radio in class. Also before this particular fight witnesses said that she even cursed at her combatant, bragged about her martial arts skills, tied her hair back and wrapped a lanyard and keys around her fist. Berry has only been at the high school for a couple of months before the fight after transferring from another school in the district. It was also brought up in the case that she was working under an "improvement plan" designed for helping her with her classroom
skills. Today Barry is still employed but is currently at another school.
I believe that the incident is as much as the school districts fault then it is Barry's. Before hiring Barry the school should have done a background check for any history of violence that Barry might have had in the past. I also think that instead of transferring to another school Barry should have been completely expelled from the school system.
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