Former Teacher of the Year faces battery charge in student altercation

SARASOTA, FL (WWSB) - John Russo has taught and coached at Brookside Middle School for 21 years, and was even named Teacher of the Year at one point.

Now, he's on administrative leave and facing criminal charges for a decision he believed was in the best interest of student safety.

The incident happened on February 15, 2018, one day after the Parkland school shooting. Brookside principal Matthew Gruhl told students and faculty that, among other things, hooded sweatshirts would be banned as a safety precaution.

In a statement to colleagues that was posted on Facebook Saturday, Russo says he was at a track meet when he spotted someone wearing a red hoodie covering their face. Russo followed the person as they walked towards students, ignoring his requests for identification. The hood was eventually removed, revealing a 14-year-old student at the school, who Russo says immediately started cursing at him.

When he tried to walk away, Russo tried to detain him by grabbing his arm. The teacher says the student became aggressive, threatening Russo and trying to punch him.

Kendra Carr's husband teaches at Brookside Middle School. She's the one who posted his statement on Facebook, which had been shared nearly 1,000 times by Monday.

"John's trying to protect his school, he's trying to protect the kids," says Carr. "In this day and age, and the heightened awareness that they had that day, how could it become a criminal charge?"

The altercation between Russo and the student escalated further, and it took principal Gruhl and the school resource officer also getting involved, before the student was detained.

However, the school resource officer's report states the security video shows Russo engaging the student first, putting him in a "bear hug" and pushing him "against the wall" with "no eminent threat." The Sarasota Police report states there was enough evidence to charge Russo with battery, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The Sarasota Classified Teachers Association, which is the union representing Sarasota School District teachers, is backing an attorney, Peter Collins, on behalf of Russo. Collins says he's also seen the video.

"The school board's handbook clearly says that Mr. Russo had a right to detain him in an effort enforce the school board policy, and that's what he did," says Collins.

The Sarasota County Schools student & family handbook states:

"A teacher shall have the authority, while on duty, to come into physical contact with a student ... to the degree necessary for the purpose of establishing or maintaining control of students, including to reasonably protect himself/herself."

According to a district spokesperson, Russo is on administrative duty away from the classroom until the investigation is over, and the 14-year-old student is back in class. His mother has filed battery charges against Russo, and Collins has already submitted a plea of not-guilty.

"I'm not worried," says Collins. "Because I know that any juror who watches this video will come to the same conclusion that I have, and that is that Mr. Russo didn't commit a crime."

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