Teacher accused of hitting middle school student in Glendale

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A disturbing audio recording captured the aftermath of an alleged assault at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Glendale, where a teacher allegedly hit a student and locked him in the classroom afterward.

The recording, obtained by a seventh grader, captures part of the interaction; the student who was allegedly struck saying "you can’t hit me," followed by the teacher saying "yes I can." 

The teacher can also be heard saying, "I’m not afraid of you or your parents or your lawyer whatsoever." 

The victim's parents, Edit and Roland Novshadyan, said they both received texts from their 12-year-old son on April 10, alleging that his teacher had struck his arm. 

He also told them the teacher locked him inside the classroom afterward to belittle and intimidate him. While in the classroom, he called his dad.

"At that moment, the teacher snatched the phone out of his hand so she could talk to me, and when she got on the phone she started yelling," said Roland. "I said why did you hit my son? She said I didn’t hit him - I tapped him, I told him he did a good job for his assignment, but at the same time she was telling me that he’s not listening and he’s a bad student."

Edit was already on her way to school when she was told by staff that her son was being kept in the classroom against his will.

By the time she arrived, he had been let out, escorted by a school official. 

The child said he got in trouble for eating in class, which, his parents say, they do not condone. But they emphasized that the teacher's response was disproportionate.

"She could have written him up, she could have sent him to the office, she could have given him detention, she could have had the counselor contact me," Edit said. "Let us speak to him, and I promise - he won’t do it again."

Attorney Armen Akaragian highlighted the severity of the situation, emphasizing that "it’s criminal in this state to hit children."

The family was told that the student who recorded the audio was asked by school officials to delete the file from his phone, which he subsequently did. But he had already sent an email with the file attached, so it could be retrieved.

The Glendale Unified School District acknowledged the alleged incident and assured a thorough investigation.

The family was notified that their son’s schedule has been changed and as of Monday, will no longer been taught by the teacher in question. But they want the educator to be dismissed, and a public apology for all affected parties.

"We don’t hit our kids - for someone else to hit my child, it was unacceptable," Edit said.