A South Atlanta High School student, who was allegedly body-slammed by an employee, has been cleared after initially being charged with battery, according to the school district.
The employee has been removed from the school and will be disciplined, an Atlanta Public Schools statement said.
The Oct. 3 incident in the school library initially resulted in simple battery charges against Zahki Koonce, 17, and Henry Coleman, called a “graduation coach” by APS.
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However, a statement by spokesman Ian Smith said, “The district has completed a review of the incident. The employee has been removed from the school and is currently proceeding through the steps of the district’s disciplinary process according to the civil service policy.
“Upon further review of the incident, we have determined that the charges against the student should be dropped and will indicate that to the court.”
Koonce said the altercation began when he touched Coleman on the shoulder and asked, "What's up?"
He said Coleman then lost control and attacked him.
“I just felt my body, my whole body just fly into the table with books on it,” Koonce told Channel 2 Action News. “He came to the table. Slung me off the table to the ground.”
Koonce’s mother, Shekela Bryant, said she was surprised when she got a call from a school resource officer about the situation.
She said she was told her son was charged for striking the teacher in an insulting or provoking nature.
“I was very shocked,” she told Channel 2.
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