Detroit teacher gets job back after fight video, but does she want it?

Tiffani Eaton used broom in attempt to stop fighting teens at Pershing High School

DETROIT – Tiffani Eaton read a statement Wednesday afternoon at her attorney's office in Birmingham.

"In this moment right here and now I am not sure that I can simply accept my job back without assurances being made," she said.

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Eaton used a broom in an attempt to break up a fight between two of her teen students at Pershing High School in Detroit. The state of Michigan's Education Achievement Authority runs the under-performing school.

The EAA is meant to try and do something to change the downward slide of the state's lowest performing schools.

When officials learned that Eaton struck one of the students with a broom, they fired her.

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However, after 10 days of nationwide media coverage, the EAA has offered Eaton her job back. She said she doesn't want it until safety changes are made inside the classroom.

Read: Was teacher within law when she hit fighting students?

"And I wonder, if the video had never surfaced would they be offering me my job back? The school board would have rather picked up the broom and swept the issue under the rug," said Eaton.

Eaton's attorney, Jeffrey Abood, dropped a bombshell that should get the attention of every parent with a student in an EAA school. He said Eaton wasn't trained on what to do if violence breaks out. Five other teachers in that same classroom haven't either.

"Two through six have not received any kind of training, nothing on how to deal with any kind of situation, an emergency or if a medical issue arises, or anything arises other than a fire drill," said Abood.

He said he wants to see a change in safety protocol.

"What protections are in place to prevent this from happening again?" he said.


About the Author:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.