A teenager has been charged with felony-level assault after punching an assistant principal in the head amid a lunchroom brawl at Central High School in St. Paul last month, charges say.
Herbert Anthony Collins, 18, was charged with fifth-degree assault for his role in the March 15 altercation, according to a juvenile petition filed against him last month.
Collins was a minor at the time.
According to the charge, the Central High School student’s most recent offense took place within three years of his involvement in at least two other incidents of domestic violence.
Staff and a school resource officer responded to a fight that broke out in the cafeteria at Central High School just after 12:30 p.m. March 15, the petition said.
Two fights were underway in the snack area that attracted the attention of about 50 students, the petition said.
As staff members tried to break up an altercation between two female students, Collins kept trying to join the fighting, according to the petition.
His conduct required repeated restraint by the school resource officers, who at one point were verbally threatened by Collins, according to the petition.
After eventually being led away by a different staff member, Collins broke away and ran back to the fight, the petition said.
As he approached, Collins “pulled his arm back and with a significant amount of force, punched (an assistant principal) in the back of her head,” the petition said.
The impact of Collins’ blow caused her head to “visibly snap back,” the petition said.
The assistant principal’s injuries required medical attention but she was able to resume work at the school within days.
Details of her injuries were not available because of data privacy laws, according to Toya Stewart Downey, a representative for the St. Paul school district.
Neither Collins nor his relatives could be immediately reached for comment.
At Central last year, a teacher was knocked unconscious when he tried to break up a fight in the lunchroom. John Ekblad has filed a lawsuit against the school district.
This school year has been quieter in St. Paul than last year, which was marked by incidents of students fighting and attacks on teachers. The district subsequently added more school counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses.
School resource officers also have taken on a different role in St. Paul schools. Students caught fighting or carrying small amounts of alcohol or marijuana are being sent home to their parents instead of the juvenile detention center.
In the first quarter of the school year, St. Paul school resource officers arrested one student, down from 21 arrests in the same period in 2015.
Between January and March, St. Paul school resource officers made eight arrests last year and five this year.
School safety is a “top priority” for St. Paul schools, Stewart Downey said Wednesday.
“Violent behavior against students or staff is not tolerated,” she said.