A teacher, recognized by the district, is captured on video lifting a student and hurling her to the ground during a game of musical chairs.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 16-year-old at Westside High School claims she suffered a concussion and bruised ribs after a teacher threw her to the floor during musical chairs at a pep rally.
Nyla Millikan said what was supposed to be a fun activity, quickly turned painful.
Her family now plans to take legal action, calling the behavior “inexcusable.”
Millikan is a junior at Westside High School and says she’s missed class this week because of an incident at a school pep rally.
Footage of the event shows a teacher from Duval County Public Schools pulling Millikan and causing her to fall to the ground as they contended for a seat in the musical chairs game.
We are not releasing the name of the teacher at this time as he has not been charged with a crime.
Millikan’s mom received a received a call from the school describing it as a scuffle, but her daughter told her a different story.
“I gave the chair a slight pull, ran a bit, laughed, sat, and then everything became a blur. I sat down, but then he grabbed me, pulled me, and I hit the ground,” Millikan recounted.
Her mother mentioned that when Millikan got into the car afterward, she was “crying and in pain.” Her daughter informed her that a teacher had thrown her to the ground. Concerned, she rushed Millikan to the emergency room due to intense head and side pain.
The family says medical exams revealed Nyla suffered a concussion and bruised ribs.
The Duval County Public School District released a statement noting that the staff member has been reassigned to non-student-contact duties while the district’s Office of Professional Standards conducts an investigation.
The district says because it’s an active investigation, they can’t provide any other details.
For this family, it’s now about demanding accountability, saying they are working with a law firm to take legal action. “No teacher should be putting their hands on nobody’s kid. I don’t care — I don’t care who it is,” Millikan’s mother said.
