SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The mother of a middle school student allegedly bypassed school security and attacked a teacher in front of a class full of students.
Syracuse City School District Superintendent Anthony Davis said 31-year-old Lynzina Sutton, who is 4’10”, entered Lincoln Middle School and put on her hood in an attempt to blend in with students before the start of classes on Feb. 16, Local Syr reports.
After entering the school, Sutton located a teacher’s classroom and verbally assaulted her before repeatedly punching her in the face. The teacher suffered a concussion, a nasal bone fracture, and a maxillary spine fracture at the base of her nose. The teacher was brought to the hospital for treatment. Davis said 25 to 30 students witnessed the attack.
The previous day, the teacher reportedly accused Sutton’s daughter of lying about her whereabouts during the school day, according to Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick. The teacher called security and the student allegedly said, “My mother will take care of this.” At the end of the school day, the teacher reported the threat to the administration.
“By the time the administration started looking into the matter, this incident had already occurred,” Davis said during a press conference.
Fitzpatrick said teachers shouldn’t have to worry about parents coming into the school and assaulting them.
“You have a child disciplined, and the reaction from the parent is ‘I’m going to come to school and beat up the teacher,'” he said. “To have a classroom full of students sit there, I mean, how are they going to be affected? Those are questions that need to be answered.”
Fitzpatrick said it is especially alarming that Sutton was able to enter the school and leave as she wasn’t arrested until later that day. He said the school’s security guard may have been distracted by the student’s grandmother who was with Sutton, according to WSFA.
The grandmother, Roxanne Thompkins, told CNY Central that Sutton’s anger stemmed from unresolved bullying that her daughter was facing in school. She said her daughter went to the school intending to speak to the principal.
“She’s been slapped, she’s been kicked, they’ve broken her glasses three times, they’ve broken cell phones twice, and all we get [from the school] is ‘Well what is she doing?’ They made her out to be the problem,” she said.
Thompkins also said that the school suspended her granddaughter for 60 days last year.
The Syracuse Teachers Association said it will work alongside the district to ensure teachers feel safe in the classroom.
“As an employer, it is the district’s responsibility to protect educators, students and staff, and ensure a safe environment for learning and working,” the group wrote in a statement to its members. “We are focused on holding the district to that responsibility and will continue working closely with the administration to review what can be done to strengthen current policies and protocols.”
Davis said the school has a guard or sentries at every single point of entry and a check-in procedure for anyone visiting the school. He said the school will review security measures and implement changes if necessary.
Sutton was arraigned on Feb. 17 and pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and burglary. She was released on $5,000 cash bail and was issued a full stay-away order from the teacher.
