Student and teacher altercation caught on surveillance video

A student at a Treasure Coast school is facing criminal charges after an altercation with a member of the school staff.

The 13-year-old student at Delaware Avenue School in Fort Pierce when he got into a fight with a behavior technician employed by the district.

When his mother saw the surveillance video from inside the classroom she raised questions of whether her son should have been charged with battery and resisting police.

“I see a teacher battering a student which is absolutely wrong,” said the boy’s mother, Tameika O’Neil.

A St. Lucie County school official said the adults in the classroom acted properly.

“It is the last resort any time that you have to use reasonable force,” said Assistant Superintendent Bill Tomlinson. “But in this situation it was necessary in order to maintain an orderly environment in the school.”

We'll show you the surveillance video so you can make up your own mind. It's a Contact 5 Investigators Special Report that airs Thursday, August 18 on NewsChannel 5 11.