Mar 18, 2009 10:49 pm US/Central
Student Says Teacher Beat Him In School Office
FRIDLEY, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Special education teacher Dennis Dzuck, 52, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a student at Fridley High School.
Anoka County
A Twin Cities teacher is off the job accused of beating up a student. Police say it happened Wednesday morning inside an office at Fridley High School.
Police booked Dennis Dzuck, 52, into jail for assault. He's been a special education teacher at the school for at least five years.
Dale Berry was only in school a few minutes Wednesday morning, before he was back home wearing a neck brace. His mother, Cindy Garza points to the scratches.
"This right here and back behind his ear, right here, and then on his head is all swollen," Garza said, pointing to the marks on Dale's neck.
Besides some scratches, doctors say the sophomore sprained his neck.
Dale said it started in a hallway when Dzuck asked Dale's friend to take his hat off. His friend refused and Dale stepped in. That's when he said Dzuck asked him to go to the principal's office.
"He said 'You're mouthing off, huh. Come back here,'" Dale said. He said Dzuck then shut the door.
"He had me by the back of my neck and he had me by my throat and he slammed my head into the radiator three times," said Dale.
Dale's mother is still very emotional over what happened.
"This is supposed to be a safe haven for my kid. How could this happen?" Garza asked.
Dale said the attack lasted a few minutes until someone heard his screams.
Mark Robertson is Fridley's Superintendent. He said he was troubled by the reports of what went on.
"Obviously, that's not the way we normally prefer to do business with either students, parents or staff members," said Robertson.
Dzuck is on paid leave as the district investigates what exactly went on. As for Dale, he plans to be back at school on Thursday.
Dzuck will be in court in the next few weeks to answer to formal charges. He's expected to be charged with fifth-degree assault, a misdemeanor crime.
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