Nationwide — A staff member at KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy has been fired after allegedly punching a seventh grader so hard that the blow knocked out one of the boy’s teeth. The incident involved 12-year-old Peyton Outlaw, whose mother, Montrena Bennett, says the confrontation unfolded last month after her son tried to use the bathroom during lunch. She claims the staff member refused and then physically restrained her son, sparking a violent altercation.
According to Bennett, Peyton attempted to walk around the employee when he was denied permission to use the restroom, prompting the staff member to place him in a headlock. Peyton broke free and swung at the man, and Bennett says the staff member responded with a punch that sent her son “flying across the room,” knocking out a tooth and injuring another. Peyton now has a missing tooth, bruising, a swollen lip, required stitches, and had to undergo a root canal due to additional dental damage.
Atlanta Black Star reports that Bennett says what angered her even more was the school’s failure to notify any of Peyton’s emergency contacts. She and the boy’s father only learned about the incident after another parent reached out. She says Peyton repeatedly asked school officials to call his dad immediately after the altercation, but no one did. Instead, Peyton was taken to the nurse’s office, where his tooth was placed in a small box and sent home with a brief note describing “a couple of abrasions” and a missing tooth — a response Bennett calls unacceptable.
Her frustration deepened because Peyton has been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and has an individualized education plan (IEP) the school is required to follow. Bennett says staff are aware of how to de-escalate situations involving her son and knows he needs space and patience when overwhelmed. “They don’t process information like we do,” she said. “If you just leave him alone, he’ll calm down. So I don’t know how this escalated so far.”
Following public outcry, KIPP administrators sent a message to families calling the incident “deeply concerning” and insisting they contacted Outlaw’s family immediately, a claim his mother disputes. The school said it “took swift action” to remove the staff member and later confirmed he had been terminated after an internal investigation. A spokesperson added that the school is cooperating with the Philadelphia Police Department and other authorities to ensure full transparency.
Despite the firing, Bennett says she wants more accountability. “That’s not enough for me,” she said. “He lost a job. My son went to the hospital. My son is going to need therapy.” The family has filed a police report and hired an attorney, and Bennett says she expects the school system to do far more to protect students. “We as parents trust these people to keep our kids safe,” she said. “This should have never happened.”