Former Principal Calls Mpls. School Where Teacher Was Attacked A 'Prison'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis public school worker is in critical condition after a brutal attack by a student.
On Wednesday, Hennepin County prosecutors charged 18-year-old Corey Burfield with assault.
He's accused of knocking 49-year-old Mohammed Dukuly to the ground and punching him a number of times.
Dukuly is a paraprofessional at Harrison Educational Center, a school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Dukuly's family says the student attacked him between classes.
"The student and assistant teacher were transitioning from one class when this guy came and attacked him," said Imam Mohammed Dukuly, the victim's uncle. "Knocked his head on the wall and then started kicking and punching him."
Back in December of 2015, the principal of Harrison Education Center was assaulted by a student and suffered a concussion.
Months later, she left the school district.
Monica Fabre has moved on from serving as the principal of Harrison Education Center in Minneapolis.
She returned to Louisiana where she's now leading a middle school.
She says she always feared someone else would get hurt at Harrison.
"The environment is not an environment conducive to learning," she said. "It is called an education center, but what it is is a prison."
Fabre says while she was recovering from the concussion she suffered in an attack by a student, she and the district agreed to part ways.
Months after that, she filed a complaint with the Civil Rights Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, asking them to investigate the Minneapolis school district's special education policies and the conditions at Harrison.
"Someone is going to die in that building if the district does not stop collecting money and start serving children," she said.
She maintains the systems in place at Harrison reinforce bad behavior.
"Locked doors, no focus on academics, no focus on student well-being," she said. "The child who assaulted me was 17 years old, a senior in school, with one credit. How does that happen?"
Fabre says she doesn't blame the student who attacked her. She just wants to see a dramatic change in the school district's strategies.
When asked for comment Wednesday, Minneapolis Public Schools says the Office of Civil Rights has not taken any action on this matter.
The district said it is focused on providing a positive, safe learning environment for all students and staff at Harrison.
