A Rockdale County teacher, who a mother says threatened her teenage son on video, is no longer on the job.

In an email to FOX 5 Thursday, Rockdale County Schools spokesperson Cindy Ball said that teacher Paul Hagen "is no longer an employee of Rockdale County Public Schools at this time."

The statement comes after the student's mother complained to FOX 5 about the incident caught on cell phone video at Rockdale Career Academy.

Parent April Carr sent the cell phone video to FOX 5, saying it showed the teacher threatening her 11-th grade son.

A report that Carr filed with the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office named Hagen as the teacher.


The video shows Hagen reportedly saying, "I'm serious, dude. If you screw with me, you're going to get in big [expletive] trouble. Don't smile at me, man. That's how people like you get shot. I got a bet. I bet, by the time you're 21, somebody is going to put a bullet in your head. OK? And it might be me...the one who does it."

Carr spoke with FOX 5's Marissa Mitchell on Monday about the incident.

"It sets an overall tone that is totally unacceptable," Carr said. "I'm upset, hurt and confused."

The mother told Mitchell her son admitted to laughing while Hagen taught his Physics class. The son believes his behavior sparked the rant.

"He definitely should have been paying attention, getting his lesson...and doing what he was supposed to be doing," Carr stressed. "But at the end of the day, he is a child and that teacher is an adult. He is supposed to maintain control of that classroom and of himself...if you are frustrated, pull him out the class or wait until another class period. Let yourself calm down then pull him to the side and talk to him. You don't threaten his life."

Carr said Hagen apologized to her son after the incident. But she wanted the teacher terminated from the job altogether.

On Monday, spokesperson Ball said the district had placed the teacher on administrative leave while they investigated the incident.

The Rockdale Citizen reports Hagen has been with the system since July 2010 and chaired the school's science department.