Hernando teacher who punched student won’t be charged
Sandra Hadsock clenched her teeth, balled up her right fist and closed her eyes. The 5-foot-5 art teacher’s first punch was a wild haymaker, just glancing the towering student’s right cheek.
Then, as she drew her arm back again, Hadsock gripped the boy’s jacket collar and leveled a right cross, catching him square on the jaw. His head snapped to the side and his mess of orange hair blew back.
Now, three weeks after the incident was caught on a student’s cell phone videocamera, the State Attorney’s Office has decided not to file criminal charges against Hadsock, who had been arrested on a single count of child abuse.
Hadsock landed at least one punch on the student’s face, causing a minor cut on his lip, authorities said. But the video doesn’t provide conclusive evidence that the 64-year-old veteran teacher wasn’t acting in self-defense when she swung at the student who called her vulgar names, prosecutor Brian Trehy said.
Students who witnessed the incident said the teen made contact first and the teacher was responding to that, Trehy said.