Germantown High teacher hospitalized after school assault

A popular Germantown High School teacher was assaulted by two students and hospitalized after he took an iPod away from one of them during class today, officials said.

Frank Burd, 60, was in a hallway after his 11th-grade math class shortly after 11 a.m. when he was confronted by one of his students, a 17-year-old who brought the iPod to class, officials said.

A 15-year-old student joined the confrontation and either punched or helped trip Burd, who fell and hit his head against a locker, said Fernando Gallard, spokesman for the Philadelphia School District.

Burd, who also has been active in local theater productions, was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center with two broken bones in his neck, said Paul Vallas, the district's chief executive officer.

The two students, whose names were not released, fled from the high school and remained on the loose this afternoon, officials said.

The 15-year-old, a ninth grader, was already in the process of being transferred to an alternative disciplinary school when the assault occurred, Gallard said. He had been transferred to such a school during the last school year.

Vallas said the assault was captured on a school security camera. Electronic devices such as iPods are not allowed in classrooms.

So far this school year, 40 students - out of a total of 1,500 - have been transferred out of Germantown High School for disciplinary problems, Vallas said.

Jerry Jordan, vice president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said that safety at Germantown High School has been an ongoing concern and that today's assault was indicative of a larger problem.

"This is not new," Jordan said. "It's not just Germantown High School. It's other schools, as well."

Jordan said budget cuts have lessened the district's ability to provide a safe environment for students and teachers.