$100K raised for California teacher who punched student
UPDATE: 11/6/2018 2:39 p.m. Community members have raised more than $100,000 for a Los Angeles-area teacher captured on video punching a student who had repeatedly called him a racial slur and other names.
By Tuesday, a Gofundme page had raised more than double the stated goal of $50,000 for Marston Riley, a music teacher at Maywood Academy High School.
Video on social media shows Riley, who is black, repeatedly hitting the student, who returns some blows. Before the scuffle, the video showed the student throwing a basketball at the 64-year-old Riley and calling him names.
The student was treated for minor injuries, and Riley was released on bond after being arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
The school district says administrators have met with students, staff and parents “to begin the healing process.”
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A teacher and student at a southeast Los Angeles, California, high school came to blows Friday afternoon, and it was all caught on video.
The footage from CNN affiliates KTLA-TV and KCAL shows Maywood Academy High School music teacher Marston Riley, 64, standing face to face with a 14-year-old boy at the front of a classroom when Riley punches him. It’s at this point the two begin exchanging punches. The boy wound up on the ground wrapping his arms around Riley’s leg. Riley, at this point, repeatedly punches him. The brawl ends with students and what appears to be a campus resource officer trying to separate the two, but Riley continues to pursue the student. It is not clear when the short video started and if it caught the entire exchange. Students told KTLA the fight began after Riley asked the student to leave the class because he wasn’t wearing the proper uniform. The boy refused, students said, and video taken by another student shows the boy shouting profanity and a racial slur at Riley, who is black. The boy, who has not been identified, was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for moderate injuries and later released, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Riley was arrested on charges of child abuse, the release said. He posted bond and was released Saturday. Riley has an arraignment scheduled for November 30. CNN has reached out to Riley, but has not heard back. “We are extremely disturbed by the reports of the events that occurred at Maywood Academy High School,” the Los Angeles Unified School District said in a statement. “We take this matter very seriously and do not condone violence or intolerance of any kind. Los Angeles Unified is cooperating with law enforcement in investigating this incident. Crisis counselors and additional School Police patrols will be at the school on Monday to support our students and staff.”
