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Annika McKenzie Attack: Mother Arrested For Violently Attacking Teacher

By Regina Avalos
Published on: 05:36 PST, Apr 18, 2015

Annika McKenzie’s attack on a middle school math teacher is making national headlines this weekend. Annika went to her daughter’s middle school in Hempstead, Long Island on Wednesday in order to talk to her daughter’s teacher, according to the Huffington Post.

Annika McKenzie was not at all happy with Catherine Engelhardt. Around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the mother marched onto school grounds without stopping to check in with school officials. She made her way to the math teacher’s classroom to wait for the woman.

Why did she visit Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School that afternoon? It is being reported that there was an incident between Engelhardt and the woman’s 12-year-old daughter earlier that day. The math teacher had a conversation with the teen about her behavior, and the teen accused the teacher of “touching her” during the conversation.

That is what brought her mother down to the school. However, the visit soon turned violent.

ABC 7 News described the incident.

“As Engelhardt returned, there was a conversation about an ‘incident earlier in the day,’ and the teacher called for security. Authorities say the teacher was shoved against the wall, placed in a headlock and thrown to the floor, where she was kicked and punched by several students, including McKenzie’s 14-year-old niece. The teen was arrested, and both suspects are being charged with second-degree assault. McKenzie also faces a charge of strangulation. The teen is being charged as a juvenile, and her case will be handled in family court.”

At first, Engelhardt was not identified as the victim of the attack, but she has spoken out about the incident with the media. The math teacher has feared for her safety at the school for quite some time.

“It’s not like I thought a parent would do something, but I knew something violent was going to happen. warned (the school) time and again that the children have no respect for adults. Yes, I fear for my safety. They can’t control the kids.”

Hempstead Classroom Teachers Association President Elias Mestizo has also spoken out about the incident. An investigation is now underway to see how Annika McKenzie made it passed school security in the first place. With more incidents of school violence, schools have put in more safety measures in order to keep both their students and staff safe. In this case, the safety measures in use at this school failed.

“[On Wednesday], we saw what we don’t want to see anywhere in any school. Many teachers throughout the district and in this school also do not feel safe in the building, and there are reasons for that. And action needs to be taken immediately.”

Annika McKenzie has an attorney now representing her in this case. Don Rollock, her attorney, said that “teachers don’t have the right to put their hands on children.” However, in this case, no charges have been filed against the teacher. It is being reported that Catherine Engelhardt was unconscious for several minutes following the attack.

The teacher was taken to the hospital, but she was later released. She is now at home recovering from her injuries. Engelhardt is a veteran teacher with 20 years of experience in the classroom. During those 20 years, she has worked at the same school.

News of this attack has caused some buzz on Twitter. While some defend Annika McKenzie for acting out in defense of her daughter, many shared their outrage over McKenzie’s actions.

Teachers being attacked on campus is not a rarity anymore. It is becoming something people see happen more often. A previous Inquisitr report shared about an attack during that happened during a staff basketball game. However, that attack had two of the faculty involved.

What do you think of Annika McKenzie’s attack of her daughter’s math teacher?

[Photo: Google Earth]

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