Teacher accused of taking phone and shoving student. Now he’s on leave

A middle school teacher in Auburn is on administrative leave after he allegedly pushed a student out of a classroom, according to the Federal Way School District.

A video, shot by another student, appears to show the teacher pushing the student. Moments later it appears that the student has fallen.

District spokeswoman Kassie Swenson said in a statement to The News Tribune that the matter is under investigation.

“As this type of conduct is not consistent with our standards of maintaining a safe environment for staff and scholars, we immediately engaged in a full and complete investigation,” Swenson said. “This matter is taken seriously and we have been cooperating with local law enforcement and value the collaboration with the families involved.”

The video, shot at Sequoyah Middle School on Friday, was obtained by KIRO.

The 13-year-old student told KIRO that the incident began with confusion over a new class schedule and a confiscated cell phone.

When the student asked for the phone back after class the teacher, the student told KIRO, refused to give it back.

The video was then posted on social media where the student’s father saw it. He went to the school to check on his son and then called 911. A King County Sheriff’s deputy responded.

The father said he took his son to a hospital. The teen showed symptoms of a possible concussion and had injured fingers.

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Teacher accused of taking phone and shoving student. Now he’s on leave."