Teacher accused of throwing object at student during Ma’Khia Bryant disagreement

11th grader Javon Seals said the incident started in science class

May 6, 2021

A teacher in Alabama allegedly threw an object at a student who was discussing the fatal police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant while in class.

According to local reports, 11th grader Javon Seals said the incident started in science class with a conversation about LeBron James. Seals said the teacher joined in and showed disdain for the NBA star.

The young man said that he and his teacher started talking about the 16-year-old’s death and that he took out his phone and started recording.

The conversation reportedly “took a turn” and the teacher threw an unknown object at his head.

“I tried to explain to her how Lebron was feeling, where Lebron was coming from,” Seals said. “After I tried to tell her that’s when, as you can hear in the video her getting highly upset, yelling at me. As I’m trying to explain my point of view and Lebron’s, that’s when she got mad at me and threw something that was on her desk at me.”

The report notes that other teachers heard the commotion and came into the classroom where they were told that Seals was disrespecting his science teacher. However, the young man later shared the video on social media.

His mother, Lamonica Peters said that she is upset that the school never contacted her and that she learned about the incident on social media. “You can hear from the beginning she was so upset, she was just very angry and because he disagreed or didn’t get a chance to really say what he wanted to say and she threw something at him,” Peters said. “I hold her at a higher standard, she is a teacher and if this conversation was too emotional for her, then she should not have held that in a classroom.”

Seals said that the teacher did apologize to him, but that he feels afraid to express his opinion in school.

Phenix City Schools released a statement about the incident involving the teacher, saying, “Phenix City Schools takes very seriously matters regarding the safety and well-being of students and employees.”

“Following notification of unprofessional conduct, Phenix City Schools immediately placed an employee on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. Phenix City Schools will continue to provide a safe learning environment and will pursue excellence on behalf of all students.”

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