A student from Nikki Rowe High School turned to Action 4 News after his teacher allegedly assaulted him because of having an iPod in class.
“He hit me right here,” said Jonathon David Aguilar as he pointed to his right cheek. Jonathon is a student at Nikki Rowe in McAllen.
He said the incident started after another teacher told him to turn off his iPod.
“You know, it takes time,” Aguilar explained. “He was like hurry up and I was like okay I’m doing it.”
Aguilar claimed the teacher started calling him a punk and wanted him to go to the office.
When Aguilar refused, he claimed the teacher started manhandling him.
"He tried grabbing me again and I threw his hand off of me,” said Aguilar. “I told him that I didn't like to be touched. All of a sudden he pushed me and I fell against the wall and hit my head. While in the process of getting up he punched me in the mouth."
Aguilar said that is when he stood up to defend himself, but police stopped him. Aguilar was arrested and taken away in handcuffs.
"I just felt like it wasn't fair," said Aguilar.
Melissa Gutierrez, Jonathon’s mother, agreed.
Gutierrez said she was not even notified of the incident until later in the afternoon.
"You would think if it was their child they would want to know right then and there,” said Gutierrez. “Not six or seven hours later."
Gutierrez said children should be able to trust a teacher—but after this incident.
“He’s not going to want to because he does not know if that teacher is going to turn around and do something else,” said Gutierrez.
McAllen ISD did release a statement regarding this incident:
"We take these matters very seriously. We are investigating both administratively and through our school district police dept. A staff member at Rowe High School has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation."
As for Jonathon---he said he is pressing charges against the teacher.
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