Adult, juvenile arrested after NY teacher choked inside school

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Two people, an adult and a juvenile, have been arrested in connection with an assault on a teacher inside a New York middle school.

The alleged attack took place Wednesday at the Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School in Hempstead.

Police say 34-year-old Annika McKenzie choked the female teacher, with McKenzie's attorney, Donald Rollock, claiming the teacher had "put her hands on" McKenzie's 12-year-old daughter earlier in the day.

"As any loving parent, if someone puts their hand on your child, you're going to react," he said.

Hempstead Classroom Teachers Association President Elias Mestizo said the victim was a veteran math teacher.

Mestizo said there was a security breach, with McKenzie walking into the building without being cleared by security. She reportedly went to the classroom and waited outside in the hallway for the teacher. As she returned, there was a conversation about an "incident earlier in the day," and the teacher called for security.

According to Mestizo, the teacher was placed in a headlock and thrown to the floor, where she was kicked and punched by several students, including McKenzie's 14-year-old niece. The teen was arrested and is being charged with assault.

A picture showed the teacher appearing to be unconscious on the ground. Another staff member came to help, and the victim was taken to Winthrop University Hospital.

"Yesterday, we saw what we don't want to see anywhere in any school," Mestizo said. "Many teachers throughout the district and in this school also do not feel safe in the building, and there are reasons for that. And action needs to be taken immediately."

The teacher is now recovering at home.

Hempstead Superintendent Susan Johnson told Mestizo that the district acted swiftly in regards to the incident, but he says she stopped short of agreeing to a wider investigation.