Teen arrested for attack on teacher

A 14-YEAR-OLD student was arrested yesterday for assaulting his science teacher during class at Leeds Middle School in East Mount Airy, school and police officials said.

The eighth-grade science teacher, Lawrence Williams, was treated at Albert Einstein Medical Center shortly after the 8:40 a.m. incident, and was released, said school district spokesman Fernando Gallard.

Williams had a dislocated shoulder and dislocated thumbs, police said.

"There was a verbal altercation between the teacher and student, and it turned into a physical assault by the student," Gallard said.

He said the argument began after the teacher returned some schoolwork to students.

School officials called police at 9:30 a.m., said Officer Jill Russell, a police spokeswoman.

The student was arrested at the school, on Mount Pleasant Avenue near Lowber.

It is district policy to notify Philadelphia police when a student assaults a school employee, Gallard said.

Two police officers are stationed at Leeds.

Those positions will not be affected by the recent announcement of school police cutbacks, Gallard said.