The Georgia Board of Education has reversed the suspension of a Henry County student accused of starting a fight although school officials said he didn’t throw a punch.
The board ruled that Luella High School senior Anthony Sapp acted in self-defense on Jan. 26 when he saw a student and other classmates preparing to attack his younger brother. Sapp said he pushed a student in the face, urging the student to “chill out” but a fight ensued. An assistant principal said he removed Sapp from the fight.
School officials suspended Sapp from school for the remainder of his senior year, making him attend an alternative school. Henry County school officials said Sapp’s actions disrupted school operations because there were several altercations at the school afterward they believed were related to the initial dispute.
The state board said in its ruling, obtained Tuesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that there was no evidence that Sapp’s actions “caused or contributed to the interference with school operations.”
The AJC reported about Sapp's case in May. Sapp's attorney, Michael Talefski, said the suspension was an example of what he described as Henry County's overly harsh discipline of students, particularly those who are African-American.
Henry County can appeal the ruling.
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