Behind knockout of principal lies a sad tale

Sarah Carr:

When another student slammed a fruit cup on a cafeteria lunch table last fall, the young girl's rage began to build.

It grew in the cafeteria, as the 15-year-old lashed out at her fellow students, angry that some of the spilled fruit landed on her pants.

It grew in the main office of Ronald Reagan High School on Milwaukee's south side, where school staff had taken her to regroup.

In the office, a steady stream of profanities flowed from her mouth. Sensing a growing threat of violence, the school principal, Julia D'Amato, approached. Again and again, D'Amato told her:

"You have to calm down."

"You have to calm down."

But she was just getting started.

When authorities arrested the student for punching the principal twice, knocking her out, the incident became front-page news, a horrific example of random violence in the schools.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 7, 2007 7:50 AM
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