Approximately one hundred Mount Tahoma High School students walked out of school on Monday, eager to defend a teacher they say has been wrongly accused.
Teacher Michael Anderson was captured on cellphone video in a confrontation with a 16-year-old student identified only by his first name, Tysen. Tacoma school officials say Anderson has been placed on paid administrative leave.
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"Mr. Anderson, he's innocent," a student told KIRO 7 "He's a good teacher. You know, he wants us to learn."
"I had him," said Ahlisa Waiss, an 18-year-old senior. "I go in there sometimes. And he'd be the nicest person. He's the sweetest person ever. It's just like anybody. You entice them. They get angry."
In the video, Anderson says to Tysen, "This kid right here, you're lucky. You're lucky that I got a job because I will put you down right there, 6 feet under."
"No, you won't," Tysen says.
"I would," says Anderson. "I would. I really would."
Tysen said Friday that he did nothing wrong.
"I looked at Mr. Anderson, the teacher, and we made eye contact," Tysen said. "And that's when he said, 'What are you looking at? Do you have a problem?'"
But Tysen's fellow students insist Anderson was joking.
"We did this because we all genuinely care about the man," Waiss said of the walkout.
Anderson, she said, meant Tysen no harm.
"Some people find that funny," Waiss said. "That's how Mr. Anderson was. He didn’t mean it”
Tysen's attorney says he and his client plan to meet with the school district Tuesday because Tysen fears for his safety now that he is being blamed for the suspension of a beloved teacher.
Michael Anderson, according to his union, is not talking to reporters while he is on paid leave.
Cox Media Group
