A Georgia middle school teacher has resigned after landing an 11-year-old student in the emergency room — after the boy told him to stop talking about his mother in a sexual nature.
DeRenne Middle School teacher and football coach BeTreylin Elder, was caught on video last Friday violently picking up the 11-year-old student by his shirt and tossing him several feet, causing him to hit a desk on the way down to the floor:
The mother of the victim, who she identified as “TJ,” told WTOC that Elder allegedly shared “inappropriate” remarks about her that prompted the altercation.
“I was told that he had a share of words that were inappropriate to TJ and that he had made some remarks about me and my son was unhappy with it,” Che’Nelle Russell said. “So my son then went to the front of the classroom to approach the teacher, letting him know, ‘Hey, stop talking about my mom.'”
“The teacher then came closer to my son. My son again said, ‘Stop talking about my mom’, and also wanted to call me. From that point, he was then grabbed and thrown to the floor like nothing,” Russell said.
One of the comments allegedly made by Elder was that “he left his shoes at TJ’s mom’s house.”
Toward the end of the video, captured by another student, the teacher can be seen standing over the child as he remained on the floor.
“He then grabbed [TJ] and shoved him out of the classroom, it was witnessed by the assistant principal… he was thrown out of the classroom… aggressively, again,” Russell said.
Russell took her son to the emergency room later that day, where the mother said he was determined to have a concussion and multiple bruises.
While Elder has yet to face any criminal charges, he resigned and told Savannah Morning News that he “will not be giving any statements at this moment until I have my legal affairs in order.”
Russell wants the Savannah Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) to show more accountability.
“I just feel like they failed me. They let me down. It is heartbreaking. It causes a lack of trust in the school system. Something needs to be done,” said Russell.
“[Elder] needs to be placed in jail. He hurt my boy. I’m heartbroken because I wouldn’t do that to my child. His father wouldn’t do that to him. So for him to take the initiative to do that is sickening. What are you going through at home? Are you beating on your children? Are you beating on your wife?” the mother added.
In a statement obtained by the outlet, SCCPSS officials said that Elder was “reassigned” to a location without contact with students before he resigned.
“On December 6, 2024, an incident involving a teacher and student at DeRenne Middle School was reported to district personnel. Following the report, thorough statements were collected, and the teacher was immediately reassigned to an alternate location to ensure they had no interaction with students,” district officials said. “Over the weekend, the teacher submitted their resignation, which was received and accepted by SCCPSS Human Resources.”
“Please be assured that this was an isolated incident and we take matters like this extremely seriously. The safety and well-being of our student population are of the utmost importance to us, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all,” SCCPSS added.
