PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A 59-year-old teacher went above and beyond the call of duty on Friday at Pines Middle School, according to the Broward Teachers Union.
Anna Fusco, the union's president, said Dorthea Oatt behaved heroically when she used her body to protect students from an enraged 13-year-old girl armed with a pair of scissors.
"If that was my child and a teacher did that, she would have my gratitude for life," Fusco said.
Authorities said the fight began on social media and got violent at the school, at 200 N. Douglas Road. From her home on Saturday, Oatt said she had forgiven the student who hurt her and two students.
Before Oatt intervened, the 13-year-old girl managed to stab another 13-year-old girl on the shoulder. The girl also injured a 13-year-old boy who tried to break up the fight.
Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue treated the boy's hand. The student stabbed the teacher on the shoulder, where she got some nine stitches. Relatives said late Friday night that she was still in shock.
The student was facing three counts of aggravated battery and remained in a juvenile center on Friday night.