Baltimore teachers viciously beaten by students this school year are attending court hearings, seeing doctors and hoping to return to the classroom this fall.

The girl who attacked Jolita Berry, a Reginald F. Lewis High School teacher, in April and ignited national controversy over students assaulting faculty has appealed the school system’s decision to expel her, Berry said.

On Friday, Berry attended a school system meeting where the girl asked that she be allowed to return to school — a request that infuriates Berry.

“What kind of message does this send to other students?” Berry said. “I can knock this teacher out and poof! They’ll let me back in.”

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School officials have not told Berry their final decision on whether the girl will remain expelled, and officials have declined to talk to The Examiner about individual students’ punishments.

Two William C. March Middle School students who beat Frank Principato were found guilty of second-degree assault, said Principato, who now needs surgery for a torn shoulder.

The boy who threw a chair at Principato’s head and shattered his cheekbone apologized and pleaded guilty, but the girl who repeatedly struck him blamed Principato in court, he said.

“I hope that it works out for the best for the guy who threw the chair,” Principato said.

“He’s a very bright guy who could go either way. He always did his work in class but he acted up, too.”

Since the attack, no one from the school system, except one assistant principal, has contacted Principato, he said.

To combat the violence, state schools Superintendent Nancy Grasmick, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., will host a school safety summit today where national experts will offer solutions.

“We cannot sit on the sidelines and let these things go on,” Cummings said.

He supports getting parents involved and putting more police officers in schools.

“I hate the thought of schools becoming armed camps but I also hate the thought of kids not being able to learn,” he said.

One of the summit speakers, Ivan Juzang, a youth violence expert from Philadelphia, plans to talk about how teenagers think adults fail to interact with them in an authentic way.

“We look at school safety and how we can change kids,” he said, “instead of trying to develop a relationship with them.”

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com