Pair of 19-year-old Florida HS students accused of brutally beating up teacher in 'synchronized physical attack'

Two 19-year-old Florida high school students are accused of brutally beating up a teacher in what police called a "synchronized physical attack" that was captured on video.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department told ABC News that Jayvis L. McClover and Roddrick McQueen approached the teacher at Dillard High School around 2 p.m. March 13 and were "verbally threatening to attack him."

One student told WPLG in the video that the teacher had been 'arguing with students' and that 'he cursed them out and said, "I'm gonna fight you after school."'

Police said McClover and McQueen — who are both enrolled at the school — then "intentionally launched a synchronized physical attack" on the teacher and "repeatedly punched the teacher in the face and head with closed fists," after which the teacher fell to the ground, the news network reported.

Police said the students continued to punch the teacher while he was on the ground "in a fetal position attempting to guard himself against injury," ABC News noted.

School security staff pulled the two students away from the teacher, who suffered "swelling and bruising and reported pain in his back as a result of the attack," the news network said.

McClover and McQueen both were charged with battery on a public or private education employee, police told ABC News.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office on Thursday told Blaze News that McClover was released from jail March 14 on a $15,000 bond while McQueen was released from jail March 16 with no bond but with electronic monitoring. WPLG-TV added that McQueen was placed on house arrest with a GPS monitor.

Both McClover and McQueen were ordered not to return to the high school, ABC News said, citing court records.

You can view a video report here about the incident; it includes cellphone clips of the beatdown and notes that the educator in question is a substitute teacher.

The video also features on-camera interviews with five individuals — apparently students at the school — who either smiled or laughed when describing the altercation. Some of them accused the teacher of "provoking" the two arrested students.

One student told WPLG in the video that the teacher had been "arguing with students" and that "he cursed them out and said, 'I'm gonna fight you after school.'"

The video report added that school officials are reviewing the entire incident as well as "the actions of the teacher."

Daniel Foganholi Sr., a board member with the Florida Department of Education, said in a statement that the incident was a "failure of respect, discipline and accountability," ABC News reported.

"No educator should fear for their safety while doing their job," Foganholi said, according to the news network. "Schools must be places of learning, not battlegrounds."

He emphasized the need for "stronger disciplinary policies, better security measures and a culture that respects and protects our teachers," ABC News said.

"If we fail to act, we fail our educators, our students, and our future," Foganholi also said, according to the news network. "Enough is enough."

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