The student appeared in juvenile court on Thursday. He was charged with a felony and released to his parents. His father, who did not speak on camera, said he is now considering home schooling the 15-year-old boy.
"I don't see a lot of kids that would hit a teacher like that," Darius Fosse, student, said.
"I think that's just disrespectful and I don't know what he was doing. That's just crazy. I don't understand why he would take it that far to hit a teacher," Vanessa Stewart, student, said.
On Wednesday, police say the student tackled the 51-year-old teacher, tackling him inside a classroom and punching him four or five times. The teacher was taken to Provena St. Joseph Hospital with facial injuries.
"The student was in a classroom with the teacher and at some point decided to attack him, punched the teacher a number of times and then fled the classroom," Cmdr. Glenn Theriault, Elgin Police Department "At no time were any students in jeopardy or harm's way. School and police officials on the scene were able to bring it under control quickly," John Heiderscheidt, District U-46 safety coordinator.
A school resource officer arrested the student on campus. The teacher was taken to the hospital and treated for facial injuries. He is now at home recovering.
"Our teacher is a good teacher. He is a good man. This is a senseless act. This is an act that should never have happened," Heiderscheidt said.
"I am appalled by it. I think that the student should have never ever laid a hand on any teacher," said student Emilio Avelar.
"Either way, no one should have been hit. The teacher should not have been hit. No one should have been hit. I think he could have went about it a different way, but it happened," said student Antaja Dean.
