NJ teacher dismissed 4 years after hitting student

TRENTON, N.J. - May 8, 2012

Commissioner Christopher Cerf found video showed Errol Goodwater's actions were "cruel and vicious," leaving the 13-year-old student crying with a raised welt on his back.

The commissioner said the video contradicted the Camden middle school teacher's claim that he acted in self-defense and accidentally hit the boy.

The teacher had told an administrative law judge that his students were "murderers, criminals and car thieves."

The teacher was acquitted of a criminal charge stemming from the incident.

Goodwater's lawyer, J. Michael Farrell, tells The Courier-Post of Cherry Hill the teacher can challenge the ruling before an appeals court.

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Information from: Courier-Post, http://www.courierpostonline.com/

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