Oakland Unified School District confirmed to NBC Bay Area on Tuesday that officials have placed a McClymonds High School coach on administrative leave as they investigate a video that seems to show a scuffle with a student on a bus ride back from a game.
Spokesman Troy Flint said after getting a direct tweet showing them the video on Monday, which took place on Sept. 19, officials took immediate action and placed McClymonds Junior Varsity Football Coach De’Carlos Anderson on administrative leave with pay. What officials saw on the video is "concerning and unacceptable," Flint said. Who took the video hasn't been made clear and the person who tweeted it at the district did not respond to NBC Bay Area to elaborate.
Anderson could not be immediately reached for comment. Trish Gorham, president of Oakland Education Association, which is representing the coach, said that the union “doesn’t have a statement at this time."
The video appears to show the coach walking up to a student on the bus and exchanging some words with him, shoving him back into his seat. People in their seats are shouting, "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" as the two continue with their scuffle.
"We viewed the video and took immediate action." Flint said, adding that the district would implement whatever discipline is warranted by the investigation.
Flint said Anderson also taught physical education at the school. He started with the district as a substitute in 2011, and became a P.E. teacher last year, Flint said. A teacher listed as the head of physical instruction at the high school did not immediately return an email on Tuesday.
The student involved in the video is a senior at the school, Flint said.
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Jason Richard, a youth coach who received training from the Oakland school district on student discipline, said what happened in the video is no excuse.
"No adult, ever, should touch a child, a player, a student like that, ever," Richard said.
School officials on Tuesday said they are continuing to interview the coaches and students on the bus as part of their investigation.
@jacob_center Quite disturbing. Thanks for bringing this serious matter to our attention. We are investigating this incident right now. — Oakland Schools (@OUSDNews) September 28, 2015
@OUSDNews @KTVU @SomervilleKTVU A Coach Pulling His Hands On A Student Mcclymonds High pic.twitter.com/A8HXFsljmF — Jacob Center (@jacob_center) September 28, 2015
@OUSDNews @KTVU @SomervilleKTVU Part 2 pic.twitter.com/zeZPIzLv3l — Jacob Center (@jacob_center) September 28, 2015
