Substitute teacher at high school assaulted but student not arrested
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 75-year-old substitute teacher for Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis says he was assaulted by a student on Feb. 1 but the student was never arrested.
Before an ambulance took Rob Gooding to a hospital from Perry Meridian High School, he says he told school police he wanted to press charges.
“Anything like this ever happened before? No. No,” Gooding said.
Gooding started substitute teaching after he retired. He was in the middle of teaching a business class at Perry Meridian when a student attacked him.
“I saw him come up, and he said, “I’ve had it,’ and he came down and I blocked the Chromebook. That’s where the hole was. And it shoved me down like this and then all of a sudden he hovered over me and with his left hand whammed me,” Gooding said.
The attack left Gooding with a severe black eye.
“This man child was 6-feet-2, 280 pounds,” Gooding said.
When paramedics arrived, Gooding says, a school district police officer was by his side. He immediately said he wanted to press charges.
“Then he said to me, ‘We have been instructed by the higher-ups, which is the district, not to handcuff, or arrest the kid,’ and I said, ‘What?’ and he said, ‘Yes, that came from the higher-ups,’” Gooding said.
Perry Township Schools shared a statement with News 8.
“We are disturbed by the allegations involving a Kelly Services employee and student at Perry Meridian High School. Perry Police responded to the incident quickly. A police report was forwarded to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors will then make a criminal charge decision. Due to confidentiality reasons, Perry Township Schools cannot comment on disciplinary action it takes against its students. We can say, however, the district has zero tolerance for violence.”
“They have not discussed anything about him being arrested or anything,” Gooding said.
He still wants to press charges.
“Oh, yeah! And I haven’t heard a thing. If I was out there on Meridian and he did that to me, where would he be? He has to be accountable for his actions and that’s what I feel,” Gooding said.
A spokesman for the Marion County Prosecutors Office says the case remains under investigation.