Paradise Muhammed is in the 8th grade and says a boy in her class took her phone and when she asked for it back he attacked her.
SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Chaos erupted inside a Snellville Middle School classroom after a violent attack caught on cellphone video.
The footage shows an eighth-grade boy grabbing classmate Paradise Muhammad, throwing her into desks and then kicking her in the head before leaving the room on Wednesday afternoon.
Paradise shared photos of the bruises she says she suffered when she was thrown to the floor.
"It's a lot to think about when you see my little being thrown around like that," she said.
Paradise told 11Alive's Chase Houle that no one stepped in to help her.
"People were recording in the background saying, 'Oooo.' They were just making sound effects and stuff, nobody did nothing," she said.
After the attack, Paradise says she was given a suspension notice — the same consequence issued to the boy seen throwing her.
"Sitting here, it's a lot to process. Me looking back at the video, it's like at that moment, I didn't know how to feel. Looking back at it, it doesn't seem right," she said.
But where was the teacher during all this?
Paradise maintains he was outside the classroom making phone calls. But in a statement, the Gwinnett County school district pushed back on that claim and addressed what the video does—and does not—show.
The district maintains that the video circulating online shows only a portion of the incident.
The district wrote:
"We are aware of the video circulating that shows a portion of an incident between two students at Snellville Middle School. While the video is concerning and disturbing, it only captures a portion of what happened.
"To be clear, the behavior of both students is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Striking, hitting, or physically attacking students or staff is a violation of the district's Student Conduct Code. Both students will face appropriate disciplinary consequences based on their behavior during the entire interaction. They will be held accountable for their actions.
"This incident happened quickly, near the back of the classroom, and the teacher, who was at the front of the room, was unable to intervene before it escalated. It is important to note that after a thorough review by the district's Human Resources Division, it was determined that the teacher acted appropriately and followed all district policies and procedures in addressing the situation.
"While the district understands the concern and frustration of both families, we want to reassure our community that the situation was addressed promptly and appropriately, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all students."
Paradise disagrees with the district's account.
"In the video, the teacher was nowhere in the video and even me laying on the ground, the teacher should have went over there. He was nowhere to see if I was OK. His voice wasn't in the background to say anything," she said.
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