Glenbard S. student charged with pushing assistant principal

A Glenbard South High School sophomore was accused today of pushing a female assistant principal who tried to break up a fight.

Maurice Cullum, 17, of Glen Ellyn is facing aggravated battery charges stemming from a brawl that broke out in a hallway at 7:40 a.m. before classes began. The incident was captured on the school's surveillance system.

Later that afternoon, DuPage County Judge Peter J. Dockery set bond at $20,000, meaning Cullum must post the 10 percent to be set free. He remained in jail late today.

"If you put your hand on a teacher intentionally and cause harm, you're going to get charged," DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said of his decision to approve felony charges. "It's a serious, serious crime."

It's unclear what provoked the dispute, which prosecutors said began Wednesday night outside of school. The two students squared off the next morning in school.

Prosecutor Thomas O'Connor said Cullum twice pushed the administrator to the ground after she tried to separate the teens. A school nurse checked her for minor injuries afterward.

"He told police he was acting in self-defense because a bunch of people rushed him," O'Connor told the judge in bond court, "but the (surveillance) video suggests otherwise."

He said Cullum has a prior juvenile criminal history for arrests in Cook and DuPage, the latter of which allege retail theft and aggravated battery. No one was seriously injured in Thursday's brawl.

Judge Dockery barred Cullum from initiating contact with the other student and the school official. He also is expected to face disciplinary action at school.