PONCHATOULA, LA – The Tangipahoa Parish School System is conducting an investigation into a shocking incident at Ponchatoula Junior High School after video surfaced on social media showing a coach at the school aggressively restraining a female student.
In the video, which was posted publicly to Facebook, the adult man, who is identified in the caption as a coach, can be seen standing above the girl with his knee on her chest.
The unidentified student can be heard asking the man to get off of her, while the man repeatedly shouts “You gonna be still or I’m gonna stomp your ass on this concrete!”
A second man can be seen grabbing the student’s foot and pulling her leg up while she is on the ground.
The video does not capture what happened leading up to the incident.
Tangipahoa Parish School System Superintendent Melissa Stilley said the system is currently conducting a full investigation into the incident.
“I am deeply saddened by the incident on the video,” Ponchatoula Junior High School principal Mary Beth Crovetto said. “This behavior does not represent the expectations we have for the adults and students on our campus. We are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident and will encourage our faculty, staff and students to continue to work together to create a safe environment for all stakeholders.”
Warning: video contains graphic content:
