Santa Monica teacher/coach Mark Black, was giving administrative leave pending an investigation for pinning a student down in his classroom. 

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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One things for sure, former wrestler, Santa Monica teacher/coach Mark Black still has some good moves.  April 4th the beloved teacher caught a student trying to sell drugs in his classroom.  The kid had a bag of weed and when Mr. Black asked the teen to hand it over, kid struck the him and charged him with a pencil.  The teacher didn't run, rather he took the kid down with some pretty smooth wrestling moves.

Black has won multiple national titles at the Veterans Freestyle National Championships. He has also helped Santa Monica's Maddy Tung become one of the nation's premier junior girls' wrestlers.  So, the man is well liked and respected.

Students in Mark Black's science classroom got a little more than they bargained for as Southern California's KTLA-TV reports a student hit the teacher after being confronted for selling marijuana in class.  The following video is another student catching the footage as it unfolded in the classroom on their cell phone camera.

What do you think about this?  If you feel the teacher had a right to defend himself, like his Facebook page to show your support and sign petition to help get his job back.  If not, tell us why you think the superintendent did the right thing by putting the teacher on leave.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District officials suspended Black pending an investigation.   Superintendent Sandra Lyon is standing by her decision saying, "I can tell you that what I witnessed on one of those videos is utterly alarming." Lyon said Mr. Blacks actions were "unacceptable."

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles TV station conducted their own investigation and the students and community are showing an overwhelming amount of support for the teacher/coach.  Most feel teachers should be allowed to physically protect themselves and others in a situation like this.  Santa Monica student Daniella Melamed said prior to being taken down, she saw the student "had a pencil and was going after the teacher with it."

Another student to the local news, "What is a teacher supposed to do? Sit there and just let a student beat him up? He was trying to restrain him. He didn't hit him. He just wrestled him. He was trying to get him to the ground and said, 'You're not going anywhere.'"

When it was all said and done, two students were arrested following the altercation, and more than 10,000 people have pledged their support for Black on a Facebook page established in his honor the same day news broke on April 4. Similarly, a change.org petition asking for Black's reinstatement has almost 4,000 signatures.

 

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