A teacher at a high school in Phenix City, Alabama has been put on paid administrative leave after allegedly throwing an object at a Black student’s head during class. 

On Monday, the Central High School teacher was having a heated conversation with Javon Seals about Ma’Khia Bryant, the teen fatally shot by an officer in Columbus, Ohio, KXAN News reported. 

A statement released by Phenix City Schools Superintendent Randy Wilkes said the teacher, whose name was not revealed, was immediately placed on leave for unprofessional conduct. 

“Phenix City Schools takes very seriously matters regarding the safety and well-being of students and employees,” the statement read. “[We] will continue to provide a safe learning environment and will pursue excellence on behalf of all students.”

In the video, the teacher can be heard berating the 11th grader with a series of questions before throwing an unidentified object at him.    

“No, no, don’t throw nothing at me. Chill out,” Seals said in response.  

According to Seals, the incident started in his science class during a conversation with his peers about LeBron James, Streetaddictz reported. The teacher joined into the conversation and expressed that she didn’t like the NBA player because of a now-deleted tweet James made about Bryant’s death. As Blavity previously reported, James tweeted a picture of an officer saying “You’re next. #accountability.”

Seals said he tried to defend his perspective and James’ actions but started recording when the conversation escalated. He later posted the video on social media.

“After I tried to tell her that’s when, as you can hear in the video her getting highly upset, yelling at me,” Seals said. “As I’m trying to explain my point of view and LeBron’s, that’s when she got mad at me and threw something that was on her desk at me.”

Another teacher and administrator entered the classroom after hearing the commotion from the hallway.

“I’m sitting there confused,” Seals said. “I didn’t even say nothing, I never disrespected her.”

His mother, Lamonica Peters, told KXAN News she only learned about the incident through the social media post. She said the high school never made a point to contact her, claiming she had to tell them what was going on.

Peters said from the looks of the video, the teacher never gave her son the chance to explain himself.   

“I hold her at a higher standard, she is a teacher and if this conversation was too emotional for her, then she should not have held that in a classroom,” Peters said.

“I am very proud of my son in the way he responded because had he responded in a different way, this could’ve went a different way. What is his consequence if he would’ve reacted to her? There should be a consequence for her actions,” Peters added.