Fired teacher who halted fight with broom wants safety assurances before returning

By: American Decency Staff

Birmingham— A Pershing High School teacher who was fired after using a broom to break up a fight between two students said Wednesday she would not take back her job until she and other teachers are assured they will be safe from violence.

“As I’ve had time to reflect on this matter, I’ve come to realize that sometimes moments define us and sometimes we define the moment,” said Tiffani Eaton, who was reinstated Tuesday by the Education Achievement Authority. “In this moment, here and now, I’m not sure I can simply accept my job back without assurances being made.”

Reading a statement at the office of her attorney, Jeffrey Abood, Eaton said she had thought of what she could have done differently on April 30, when she hit two ninth graders with a broom handle to break up a fight between them. She said two calls to security over a walkie talkie went unanswered, and she found out later the device wasn’t working.

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