May 1, 2012

(JTA) — A South Carolina teacher has been arrested on charges of assault and battery after trying to make a point during a lesson on the Holocaust.

Middle school teacher Patricia Mulholland, a veteran 7th grade social studies teacher at Bluffton Middle School, is accused of dragging a student out of his seat by his collar and then pushing him under a table while shouting “this is what the Nazis to do Jews.” The incident occurred last week.

The teacher said she was attempting to supplement a previous lesson on the Holocaust, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Police reportedly have copies of videos made by some students on their cell phones of the teacher acting strange before the incident, according to the Savannah Morning News. 

Mulholland was placed on administrative leave with pay on April 26. An internal review by the school district was also launched. Mulholland has been teaching in the district for 23 years.

It has not been reported whether or not the student is Jewish. 
 

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