A 14-year-old student was allegedly choked with a shirt by a now-former employee at a Michigan middle school, as captured on surveillance footage. School officials are currently investigating the incident.
On Monday, the school district announced that the employee has been terminated from their position at Ypsilanti Community Schools, effective immediately.
According to the family’s attorney, Jordan Vahdat, the incident in question took place on June 4 at Ypsilanti Middle School and involved a coach whom the teenager trusted.
According to Vahdat’s statement to ABC News, his company is currently looking into the appalling assault and battery that occurred to the student-athlete.
Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross has stated that the former employee is prohibited from being on school premises or participating in any school-related activities. It has been confirmed that the employee in question is no longer associated with the school district.
Zachery-Ross stated that their district is committed to establishing a secure and encouraging atmosphere for every student. The inappropriate conduct of the employee is entirely intolerable and will not be accepted in their district.
In her statement, she emphasized the implementation and enforcement of policies to safeguard the students and ensure their well-being.
On Monday, Zachery-Ross informed the school community through a letter that the school district acted swiftly by contacting social services authorities and cooperating with local law enforcement as soon as they became aware of the incident.
In their letter, the writer expressed understanding for the concern that the incident may have caused within the community. They assured that they are dedicated to maintaining their cooperation with the authorities involved.
After Michael’s parents reported the incident, the police showed them the surveillance footage of what had happened. Yolanda Ellis, Michael’s mother, expressed her horror at the footage and said that the incident had shattered her trust in the coach, who was someone that Michael had admired. In her words to the Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ, she revealed how the incident had affected her deeply.
According to Michael’s parents, the coach, who also worked as a hall monitor, instructed Michael to do pushups as punishment for fooling around in the hallway. However, Michael refused as he had injured his hand. This alleged incident occurred as reported by WXYZ.
The incident has prompted his parents to demand charges be filed.
According to WXYZ, Michael’s father, Steve Moon, is seeking justice for his son and insists that the man responsible for his son’s suffering should face the consequences of his actions. “He needs to be fired from his job, put in jail, and pay for what he did to my son. He needs to realize his wrongdoing,” Moon stated passionately.
ABC News reached out to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for an update on whether any charges will be filed in the case as the Ypsilanti Police Department referred them there.
The former employee could not be reached for comment despite all efforts.
