A school board president and a teacher were nursing their wounds after the two women got into a brawl Wednesday at Chester High School in front of students. Now both women are sharing their side of the story with NBC10.
“She was shoving me and I was asking her to please back up off of me and then she hit me in my face,” said Leslye Jordan, a Chester High teacher.
Chester Upland School Board President Wanda Mann has a different story however.
“She shoved me and pushed me away, pushed me hard,” said Mann.
Both claim the other started it.
“It went back and forth, she started cursing, I probably said some curse words back to her,” said Mann.
“I called her a 'B' and asked her to back up off of me and to stop shoving me,” said Jordan.
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Jordan says she wrote a letter back in January stating she felt unsafe after a student assaulted her. Jordan claims Wednesday's fight began because Mann was upset about the letter.
Mann claims however the fight started when she told Jordan she could not bring her daughter to school to intimidate the student mentioned in the letter. Both women deny the other’s claim.
“While I was on the floor she continued to try to kick me,” said Jordan.
“She attacked me and for every reaction there’s an equal and opposite reaction and I reacted,” said Mann.
“It’s terrible that teachers have to go to school and not only be threatened by students but by the president of the school board,” said Jordan.
Jordan says she’s done teaching while Mann claims she will take herself off the committee that punishes students for fighting.
“Because I’ve done the same thing,” explained Mann. “But, I defended myself.”
Police are currently looking at cell phone video of the brawl and have not yet determined if there will be any charges.
Wednesday's altercation follows another wild incident in the Chester Upland School District. On Tuesday police arrested an alleged burglar who they say ran into the Village of Chester Upland Elementary School to hide from authorities.
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