The situation turned black-and-blue after one student was caught red-handed slacking off in class.
Is this a case of assault or just a frustrated teacher? When a professor at Valdosta State University in southern Georgia slammed a student’s laptop, he was slapped with handcuffs and a criminal charge of battery.
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Dr. Frank Rybicki was teaching his law class at the college last week when he suspected a student of surfing around instead of paying attention to the lecture. When he shut the girl’s laptop – right on her fingers – the student went to police. University police arrested Rybicki, and once free on bail, he was removed from his teaching position at Valdosta State pending an investigation.
We’re not sure if it’s a case of bruised hands or simply a bruised ego on the student’s part, but Rybicki’s case took an extreme twist with his arrest. A Valdosta State spokeswoman says the professors have policies and procedures to follow as part of their employment but did not specify penalties. It seems unlikely that closing a laptop on one’s fingers would cause more than a cut or a scrape. That said, who’s ever received a flesh wound while Facebooking?
While students wait to see if Rybicki will return, many have rallied behind him, calling him “one of the best” professors and commenting that “it’s a disgrace that we’ll lose a great teacher.”
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