Louisiana Student Charged Following TikTok Inspired Attack on Teacher
Larianna Jackson, the high school student who was arrested for assaulting a teacher has been charged with felony battery that could land the 18-year-old in jail for up to 10 years.
Jackson, a student at Covington High School, was in court Friday facing second-degree battery and .cruelty to the infirmed. Jackson was arrested October 6 after the video of an attack of a 64-year-old disabled teacher at the school spread online. Another student made the cellphone recording of what authorities allege was a premeditated assault on the wheelchair-bound woman.
Police discovered the video of the attack on the students smartphone.
Authorities say Jackson was reacting to a "dare" on the app, TikTok," aimed at hitting teachers. The "Slap a Teacher Challenge’ encourages students to strike a teacher, usually in the back of the head, video it, then post it on the social media site.
The Covington Police Department first booked Jackson with battery of a school teacher, a crime punishable by up to six months in jail. But after reviewing evidence, including the video, the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney chose to charge Jackson with the more serious felonies that could result in a much harsher jail sentence.
As a result of numerous attacks on school employees across the country, the National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the US, urged Facebook, TikTok and Twitter to pledge to fix their algorithms to halt the spread of controversial "challenges."
The union also called on the companies to pledge publicly to "fix your algorithms to put public safety over profits."