Cincinnati Public Schools teacher placed on leave after physical altercation with student

A Western Hills University High School teacher has been placed on administrative leave following a physical altercation with a student

Updated: 12:50 PM EDT Oct 21, 2022

A Western Hills University High School teacher has been placed on administrative leave until further notice following a physical altercation with a student. Cincinnati Public Schools said they are aware of the incident and are investigating whether disciplinary action against the employee or student will be necessary.Cincinnati Public Schools released a statement saying: "CPS is aware of a physical altercation between a teacher and student at Western Hills University High School. CPS is investigating this incident. Additionally, the teacher has been removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave until further notice. CPS does not tolerate physical altercations, and upon its findings, may issue either employee and/or student disciplinary action as necessary."

CINCINNATI — The football season is back on at Western Hills and Dater High School, where practice and games were suspended after video of an alleged hazing incident circulated online, but former head coach Armand Tatum won’t be on the sidelines.

Julian Jones, an assistant coach at Withrow High School, will take the reins instead. Cincinnati Public Schools officials named him Thursday as Tatum’s replacement.

The Aug. 30 incident that stalled the season and moved the district to fire Tatum involved Western Hills players holding their teammate down in the locker room and pulling his clothes off.

A short video of the interaction was posted to social media, prompting the district’s inquiry, Tatum’s firing and a wave of backlash from parents and players who believed he should have been allowed to stay.

"He's an amazing man," said Antonio Willis, a former Western Hills-Dater football player, at a protest against the decision. "He always tells us to be great sons at home and great students in the classroom."

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters does not plan to press criminal charges against anyone involved, he said in a Wednesday news conference.

Deters described the clip as showing normal behavior among teenage boys and said Tatum, who did not appear to have been involved in the altercation, deserved to keep his job.

“Frankly, I am stunned by the reaction of Cincinnati Public Schools,” he said. “This is — if you have ever played football, been a football coach — from all accounts that have been amassed, this football coach is a good guy. He was helping these kids in a way that they needed.”

Jones will hold his first team meeting with the players on Friday, and Western Hills will play Woodward High School next week as scheduled.

CINCINNATI — The Western Hills/Dater High School football team will not play tonight as an investigation continues into an alleged hazing incident.

Thousands have signed a petition asking Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to change how the district is handling the case, adding they want head coach Armand Tatum to be reinstated.

Petitioners argue Tatum is not to blame for any hazing among Western Hills/Dater football players.

“He's a role model for all the young kids here,” said Antonio Willis, a former player at the school. “For all the men that don't really have fathers in their lives, that's what he gives to us.”

Willis signed the petition after CPS relieved Tatum of his duties. This was after a video surfaced online showing what police believe may be Western Hills/Dater football players holding down a teammate and pulling his clothes off as he struggles to escape.

In addition to removing the coach, the district put the football team on pause. Students protested and the petition is still growing in popularity.

“(Tatum) trusted his team with the years of advice he has given, to make the right decisions when he's not looking … like any parent, that's all you can do,” the petition reads.

“He teaches these players what's right from wrong,” Willis said.

Students and parents are working to schedule a meeting with the board of CPS to present the petition. They said they do not want to undermine the seriousness of the incident.

"Toxic behaviors and normalization of horrible events such as these is exactly what Coach Tatum has worked so intensely to avoid," the petition reads.

“I have talked to a couple of (the players) and they do regret what happened,” Willis said.

CPS had no comment on the petition. If the district changes course, it could set a standard for who is responsible.

Police are still investigating to see if criminal charges apply.

So far, no date has been set for a school board meeting with petition organizers.