Batavia High School employee investigated after video appears to show student in headlock

BATAVIA, Ill. (WLS) -- An employee at Batavia High School is under investigation after video reportedly shows the worker putting a student in a headlock in the school cafeteria.

The video spread quickly around social media, but school officials are saying it doesn't show the complete story.

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Batavia police are looking into in what they call a "high priority investigation" after a video surfaced on social media that appears to show an incident that unfolded at Batavia High School's cafeteria last Friday. A 16-year-old female student was allegedly held in a chokehold by a school employee.

Students at the high school told ABC7 off-camera that this all unfolded after an argument broke out between two girls. Police will not confirm that, but they do say the district employee in question is a campus monitor at the school. And that they are both talking to witnesses and going through all available surveillance and cell phone video that shows what happened before deciding whether to press charges.

In a statement released earlier by the school district, a spokesperson acknowledged that there is an ongoing investigation, saying: "In the Batavia High School cafeteria on Friday, school staff responded to an incident of assault and battery involving students. The district is aware of a video circulating on social media depicting a select portion of the incident. We are working closely with all of the parties involved."

A district spokesperson cited confidentiality as a reason to not disclose the full video of what happened, saying their priority is to support those impacted and to determine an appropriate response once the investigation is finalized.