JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Questions are being raised about student safety after a Westside High School teacher was caught on a now-viral video slamming a 16-year-old student during a pep rally game of musical chairs.
The student, Nila Millikin, says the incident left her with a concussion and bruised ribs. She has not returned to school since it happened last Friday.
“I was in the chair already. He grabbed me and then threw me – basically slamming me,” Nila said. “It happened so fast in a blur.”
Her mother, Joanna, says she was shocked when Nila came home in pain.“She said, ‘Mom, my head is hurting me really, really bad and on my side.’ Then she told me a teacher picked her up and slammed her,” Joanna recalled.
Nila and her mom said the district informed them that the teacher involved has since been reassigned to other duties not involving students.
In a message sent to Nila after the incident, Hughes offered an apology, but Johanna says it wasn’t enough.“He should have checked up on my daughter instead of running away like he won a million dollars,” she said.
The family said it wants more accountability from the teacher and that the incident should never have happened.
“It just makes me mad how people say she’s overreacting,” Nila’s sister, Danielle, said. “Just imagine getting slammed on a gym floor that is hard. Like my mom said, we need to see some action done.”
Despite her injuries, Nila says she holds no grudge.
“Me? I don’t have nothing against him, you know,” she said. “It wasn’t intentional, but at the end of the day – a grown man, me on the ground. I’m a Christian, so I’mma forgive him.”
Action News Jax reached Hughes by phone. He declined to comment further.
In response to the incident, Duval County Schools sent us this statement:
“We are aware of this incident, as school leadership immediately reported this to the district and notified the family of the student involved. Employees are held to high standards and expectations, and this staff member has been reassigned to duties without student contact while the district’s Office of Professional Standards investigates. As this is an active investigation, we are unable to provide additional details.”
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