FRANKLIN — A tenured teacher said he threw books at a 14-year-old student last year out of self defense, according to a state arbitrator, who recounted the incident in a report issued last week.

Sworn tenure charges were filed against Franklin Middle School in-school suspension teacher Dorrell Hilliman by the Franklin Township Board of Education March 20, and hearings were held May 16 and May 21 with an arbitrator selected by the state DOE's Bureau of Controversies and Disputes.

Last week, the arbitrator issued his written opinion, upholding the school board's decision to dismiss Hilliman.

A charge of unbecoming conduct was based on an Oct. 23, 2012 incident, in which the school board alleges, Hilliman threw Vitamin Water on a student, pushed her head, knocked her glasses off and threw numerous books at her because she was throwing them at him — resulting in minor injuries to the student's arm and ribcage, according to

the arbitrator, Joseph Licata.

In the opinion, Licata wrote he ultimately dismissed the Vitamin Water and pushing charges after hearing testimony from administrative and student witnesses, but recommended Hilliman's dismissal based on his engaging in a "book war" with a student.

Hilliman stated the student — a 14-year-old girl — was disruptive, disrespectful, used the "F-word" and called him the "N-word" in class just days before the incident, Licata wrote, referencing a statement Hilliman gave the school board about the incident.

Hilliman stated that he also discussed the student with the school's principal at the time, and even requested to speak with her mother in the afternoon of the alleged incident, Licata wrote.

Hilliman later admitted he threw books at the student in response to her throwing them at him, just hours before the student's mother was to arrive at the school on Oct. 23, 2012, Licata wrote.

"(The student) became very angry, took a soft cover book from the bookshelf and threw it at Hilliman," Licata wrote. "Hilliman caught the book and threw it back ... and the two were running around the class, throwing books at each other, ducking, and both used the bookshelf, which (the student) referred to as 'home base,' to reload."

The student admitted that both she and Hilliman were hit by the books in the process, and she even hit Hilliman in the head, Licata wrote. She also stated she was hit in the side with a book, and that her ribcage was sore and her arm was bleeding, he wrote.

The book fight lasted about 5 minutes, and about 20 books were thrown, he wrote.

In his written statement, Hilliman said he threw the books in response to the student throwing them at him, and he characterized his book-throwing as a "defensive posture," Licata wrote.

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But Licata wrote Hilliman's "most critical mistake was throwing the first book back at (the student), which, by all credible accounts, led (her) into more of a tirade. Although (she) may or may not have continued throwing books anyway, we will never know because Hilliman did not exercise thereafter any reasonable degree of restraint or employ any constructive ISS skill that he presumably acquired over the course of nine years in that position."

Licata wrote Hilliman escalated the situation because of his angered state.

Hilliman "demonstrated a complete loss of control ... and his willing and continuous participation in the remainder of the book war with an obvious intent to hit (the student) using several soft cover and hard cover books while two other ISS students look on leaves him ... beyond the point of no return," Licata wrote.

Hilliman — who received his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburg and is enrolled at Seton Hall University in a master's degree program in educational leadership and personnel management — is certified by the state DOE to teach kindergarden through eighth grade, and served as an in-school suspension teacher at Franklin High School for nine years, before being transferred to Franklin Middle School in 2008.