An American teacher is being hailed as a hero after coming to the defence of one of her learners who was being assaulted.

On Tuesday, 29 October, a male student at William Shemin Midtown Community School in Bayonne, New Jersey, was attacked outside the school by five other teenagers, believed to be pupils from a local high school.

Witnessing the horrific act on the way to her parked car, Cathy Hurley – a 56-year-old special education teacher at William Shemin – intervened. She tried to separate them without using force while threatening to call the police, but the assailants ignored her.

Out of options, Hurley laid herself over the student’s beaten body, shielding him from their blows. In response, the teenagers stopped and fled from the scene.

Since then, they have been identified, arrested and charged with aggravated assault. The victim was hospitalised, and Hurley was praised for her bravery and selflessness in the face of danger.

“She was the only adult to enter the situation, trying to pull the attacker off the victim and finally laying on top of the student, to use her body as a shield,” detailed a recent letter sent out to staff members at William Shemin.

“Her dedication to our students, her motherly instincts and her Hudson County fearlessness tie for a close second to her kind and compassionate heart.”

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