A high school teacher was assaulted by two students and hospitalized with broken vertebrae after he took an iPod away from one of them during class, officials said. Frank Burd, 60, was in a hallway at Germantown High School shortly after 11 a.m. when he was confronted by the 17-year-old who brought the iPod to class, officials said Friday. A 15-year-old student joined the confrontation and either punched or helped trip Burd, who fell and hit his head, said Fernando Gallard, a spokesman for the Philadelphia School District. Burd was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center with two broken bones in his neck, said Paul Vallas, the district’s chief executive officer. The teacher’s injury does not involve paralysis, Vallas said. The two students, who were not named because of their ages, were charged Friday night with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, police said. Vallas said they will be expelled. Electronic devices such as iPods are not allowed in classrooms.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Boy Howdy, That Quickly Escalated Into Pointless Tragedy!