Terror in Georgia School - Teacher Hospitalizes Mother

A mother went into the school to deliver a note to her 9 year old daughter. When she got there the child was upset because her teacher, Katrina Ann Rucke, had thrown her book bag into the trash. It is reported that when Lurella Amica went to retrieve her childs book bag from the trash, the teacher attacked her.


Rucker, reportedly, hit Amica with a chair in the bag and then began punching her in repeatedly in the face. The child, who along with her classmates, witnessed the fight and tried to stop it. Rucker than hit her, pulled her hair and pushed her before she began beating the mother again. Rucker then began pulling Amica out of the classroom by her hair.

Rucker is claiming self defense, that Amica hit her hand where she frequently gets shots. Rucker was arrested and remains on administrative leave, while Amica has been hospitalized.

All parents of the children in the classroom were notified and a note was sent home. Counselors have talked to the children, but the only child sent home was Amica's daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a personal note I would like to say that I think this is the most ludicrous story that I have ever heard. In a time where we are concerned with terrorist attacks in our schools, we should not be worrying about violent teachers and school officials. I have personally seen how abusive teachers can affect children. In a local school here, a teacher literally threw a desk on a child, she told the children in her classroom that they were not allowed to ask questions when she was teaching. She punishes children by making them move their desks to the front of her desk and then she piles books on top of their desk so she doesn't have to look at them. I am apalled.

One one end of the spectrum beating up children and their parents is too far. On the other not being allowed to discipline the kids in anyway leading to ramubuctious bratty behavior is wrong. You need to find a good balance imbetween that is not necessarily physical punishment but maybe humiliation or a loss of sports or other fun things the class may do. Yes humiation, kids respond quickly when faced with humiliation in front of their peers.


Oh yah and did I say that this teacher should be stripped of her teaching license and her career ruined? Well it should happen. She should move on perhaps to be a correctives officer in prisons where beating up people is allowed.

[edit on 10/22/2004 by verfed]

Rucker is claiming self defense, that Amica hit her hand where she frequently gets shots

Wtf kind of lame damn excuse is that? That in no way shape or form justifies the use of a freaking chair. Short of threats to her person the teach can come up with no real excuse for her actions, and I think loosing her teaching license should be the very least to happen to her, a trip to a lockoup sounds more fitting. What the !@#$ is wrong with people these days?

I mean this teacher just went completely ape#. I swear that chick needs to be evaluated by a psychologist or something. What was that woman doing teaching kids in the first place?

Originally posted by verfed
One one end of the spectrum beating up children and their parents is too far. On the other not being allowed to discipline the kids in anyway leading to ramubuctious bratty behavior is wrong. You need to find a good balance imbetween that is not necessarily physical punishment but maybe humiliation or a loss of sports or other fun things the class may do. Yes humiation, kids respond quickly when faced with humiliation in front of their peers.

I completely disagree with you. I don't feel that anyone should discipline my kids but me. And humiliation in front of their peers? Do you realize how that could scar them for life? No way in hell I would discipline my kids in front of his friends of anyone else for that matter.

As it is, I take them to a separate room to talk to them and deal with things. When in public I ask my kids if I need to take them to the bathroom, they know I mean business and they straighten up. They've yet to make it to the bathroom in public, just the threat seems to magically make them behave.

Double post, don't know what happened there.

[edit on 25-10-2004 by deeprivergal]

Originally posted by deeprivergal
I completely disagree with you. I don't feel that anyone should discipline my kids but me. And humiliation in front of their peers? Do you realize how that could scar them for life? No way in hell I would discipline my kids in front of his friends of anyone else for that matter.

How do your kids act in a classroom? I don't know your children, or you, or how you care for them, so this is NOT aimed at you personally, I promise Too often, parents don't discipline their kids at all and won't let teachers do it either. You have classrooms full of crazy, bratty, arrogant children who prevent everyone from learning. Kids are resillient. Good dicipline and classroom control are needed, and worrying so much about scarring children for life results in the kind of bullsh*t PC mess this country is turning into. I don't think beating a parent or student is acceptable, and there should be proceedures in place for dealing with kids in need of control.

Also, why was the backpack in the trash and why was the mom there at the classroom slipping a note to her kid? We're missing a big chunk of the story.

I don't feel that anyone should discipline my kids but me

So everytime your kid needs to get knocked upside the head you'll drive all the way to the school, take your kid to the bathroom and do it so no one will see it happen. I say let the kid lose something of value that the rest of the class will get. Something that will make him feel seperated so he or she will want to act better to be a part of the class.

Yea this is very much in the WTF category, completely and totally crazy.

You know it sounds kinda like one of those, you-had-to-be-there type things but even then, hitting her with a damn chair? WTF!

The teacher should be booted out of that district with a red letter and a middle finger.
Good riddance

Originally posted by verfed
So everytime your kid needs to get knocked upside the head you'll drive all the way to the school, take your kid to the bathroom and do it so no one will see it happen. I say let the kid lose something of value that the rest of the class will get. Something that will make him feel seperated so he or she will want to act better to be a part of the class.

The problem is that parents aren't allowed to discipline their kids. Legally their aren't anyway. You can't spank your kids these days without someone calling social services anyway.

I'm 26 and "in my day" I listened to my parents. I listened or my behind heard about it later. These days you have what we call time-out. It doesn't work. Kids are unruly because parents are losing their discipline rights. We can't control our kids because the law won't let us. We're accused of child abuse. I don't consider my parents disciplining of me as child abuse.

I'm not saying that we should beat our kids like Madelyne TooGood did, however we should have some form of control over our kids.

When I was a kid if I misbehaved I had to pick out a switch for my mom to use. Pick the wrong switch and I got extra lashes. It hurt, stung like hell, and I learned as a result. Sometimes I had trouble sitting afterwards, but I learned. Now a days that will get a parent put in jail. and people wonder why we got 12 year olds comitting murder.

Heh. Reminds me of when my 2nd grade teacher picked up my desk and dumped out all of a my stuff and made me pick it up in front of everyone. She did that to a few other kids that year. Not a nice lady..