A student at Tipton County Alternative Learning Center in Covington was arrested Friday, Dec. 16 after allegedly assaulting a teacher.
According to a Covington Police Department incident report, ALC teacher Jamie Comer told an officer that Shamar Burton, 18, pushed Comer in the back and caused him to fall to the ground after Burton was escorted off a school bus for not following rules.
Burton, according the report, admitted to pushing Comer after he was escorted off the bus. The incident happened around 2:15 p.m.
Comer told an officer “serious surgery” would be needed to repair his arm. According to a social media post by Heather Comer, the teacher’s wife, Jamie was scheduled to have surgery on his arm, which was broken in two places, this week. There were more than 200 comments on the Facebook post offering support for Comer.
Jamie Comer taught at Brighton High School for several years before transferring to ALC this school year and is an assistant coach for the Brighton High School football team.
Burton was charged with aggravated assault and booked into the Tipton County Jail. He’s free on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Tipton County General Sessions Court next month.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Comer as he continues to be evaluated and is recovering from his injury to his arm,” Covington Police Chief Donna Turner wrote in a press release. “The staff at the Alternative School do a great job with the students assigned to the Alternative School with various challenges the students are facing. I appreciate all that our teachers do across the county to develop our future leaders!”
The Tipton County Alternative Learning Center serves students who have violated school policy. The mission of the school is to rehabilitate students and get them back on track to success.
Director of Schools Dr. John Combs said the incident is “currently under investigation.”
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