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Substitute teacher headbutted student at Woodland Hills, lawsuit says

CHURCHILL, Pa. — A school district with a violent past is facing a new lawsuit that claims a substitute teacher headbutted a student at Woodland Hills.

It states the student suffered a concussion and is still feeling the effects.

According to an affidavit, the teacher got frustrated with students teasing him.

The attorney who filed the civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the student told Channel 11 the teenager has experienced memory loss and headaches.

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The 16-year-old boy allegedly told a school nurse in October that a teacher named Richard Novak headbutted him during English class.

The student alleged that Novak walked up to him, removed his glasses and headbutted the teen, causing him to hit his head on the wall he had been leaning against.

The teen said Novak then walked back to the front of the room and sat down, saying, "That didn't hurt, I have a metal plate in my head," and then continued teaching as though nothing happened.

According to the affidavit, the teen said this all happened after students were making fun of Novak's resemblance to a cartoon character from the movie "Up."

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Channel 11 contacted the Woodland Hills School District and got the following statement:

"The District just now received a copy of a lawsuit and is reviewing the allegations. Accordingly, we have no comment at this time."

Novak is no longer working in the school district as a substitute.

He faces a misdemeanor simple assault charge and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.