Community Rallies Behind Samohi Teacher Caught on Video Fighting Student

Originally posted at 8:56 a.m. April 5, 2014. Edited to fix a typo.

A Facebook page in support of Santa Monica High School teacher Mark Black who was caught on tape wrestling with a student, and promptly put on leave, has already attracted more than 800 likes -- and counting.

"Show some support for coach Black. Anyone who knows coach Black knows he's a honorable man, and dedicated to his students," says the "about" section of the page known as We Support Coach Black at Samohi, created at around 11 p.m. Friday.

" I 100 percent support Coach Black," writes one former student.

Writes another former student: "We need to picket at the smmusd office to show coach black has all of his old students backing him up I say all next week."

Fans of the page are saying Black did the right thing in restraining the student and are criticizing Santa Monica-Malibu Unified Superintendent Sandra Lyon for jumping to conclusions.

"So wait, Coach Black is being punished for keeping the other students safe? Ridiculous," says one post. 

"The Santa Monica community and other teachers can not set back on this. This superintendent goes on TV and blames the teacher for this after seeing an incomplete video. When the real problem is all the school districts inability's to provide a zero tolerance environment," says another.