Atlanta

Woman breached security, tried to beat up student inside school, district says

ATLANTA — A mother is angry after she says a woman breached security, went into her daughter's classroom at an Atlanta high school and threatened to beat her up.

It happened Monday at Maynard Jackson High School.

The mother of the student, Laketa Ellison, told Channel 2's Tom Jones that the school has to do better and thinks the school needs to reevaluate its security systems to make sure this doesn't happen again.

“I told them, 'You all need better protocol,'” Ellison said. “This lady could have had a gun brought into the school.”

The woman is accused of threatening Ellison's 14-year-old daughter.

Ellison said the woman threatened to beat up the teen, saying she would lay her out. She then kept on shoving the teen with her shoulder and trying to take her bookbag.

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Ellison said the woman's nephew called her to the school after accusing her daughter of stealing his earbuds.

“He let her in through a basement side door,” Ellison said.

Atlanta Public Schools said the woman did breach protocol and confront the student. The district said it disciplined the student who called the woman to the school.

Officers cited the woman for trespassing.

Ellison told Jones that this is more serious than that, saying the teacher called for help and no one came.

“Even the teacher admitted she felt threatened. She was afraid,” Ellison said.

The mother told Jones she also spoke to a school resource officer, who said he was told there was an intruder in the school but he didn't have time to check it out.

Ellison said these days, schools have to be more serious about security.

“I feel that not only was my child in danger, but all of the students were in danger,” Ellison said.

The school system told Jones that all visitors are required to enter through the front door and check in at the main office before being granted access to go to a classroom.

It said safety and security is a top priority and that police are investigating the incident.