Teacher taken to hospital after being hit by student, police say

A teacher at Melvin H. King South End Academy was taken to the hospital after an 11-yearold boy allegedly punched her and struck her with a chair Friday morning, according to school officials and a Boston police report.

Details of the teacher’s condition were not immediately available Friday night. The K-12 school specializes in working with students with emotional and behavioral challenges.

“This morning, a dysregulated student assaulted a member of school staff, and the staff member sustained injuries as a result of the incident,” Head of School Cindie Neilson told families in a letter Friday. “School staff immediately responded and worked to de-escalate the situation and BPS Safety Services and Boston Police were called to assist.”

An officer responded to the school at about 8:15 a.m. for a report of an assault and battery and was told by the head of the school that the student had arrived upset, and staff “made several attempts to help him settle,” the police report said. The report was redacted with the names of individuals blacked out.

The student then allegedly began punching the teacher in her head and upper body area. The student then stopped and allegedly picked up a chair “and started swinging it around,” the report said.

The staff member tried to get the chair but was struck in the head and middle of her back as the student swung it, the report said.

A school nurse evaluated the teacher before she was taken by EMS to Tufts Medical Center for further treatment.

The student was sent home and his mother was notified, the report said.

The report said the school will “conduct a full investigation and will issue any disciplinary actions upon completion.”