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Barnstable Teacher Who 'Inappropriately Physically Intervened' Between Students Put On Leave

BARNSTABLE (CBS) – A Barnstable High School teacher was placed on administrative leave after the school district said they "inappropriately physically intervened" in a confrontation between two students.

Superintendent of Schools Meg Mayo-Brown said it happened around 8:15 a.m. Thursday. Cell phone video of the incident was shared on social media.

It appears the teacher was trying to break up a fight, slamming one student to the ground. A loud bang in the video is from the teen hitting a filing cabinet on the way down.

Some Barnstable parents who watched the video said they would be outraged if that was their child.

"That was very violent! That was very aggressive," said Corina Lima of Barnstable. "That was awful. The sound just was heart-wrenching and horrible!"

"It's just not something you do," a man told WBZ-TV. "No teacher should ever put their hands on a kid to deal with it that way. Absolutely not."

Mayo-Brown said no one was seriously hurt.

"The incident is under investigation and BPS will take appropriate steps based on the outcome of the inquiry. We want our BHS community to know that we take this matter very seriously, and that the health and safety of our students remains our first and foremost priority," Mayo-Brown said.

Barnstable Police are assisting with the investigation. The teacher has not been identified.

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