The Wednesday assault of a St. Paul high school teacher came after two students entered his classroom and tried to disrupt the class, police said Thursday.

Como Park Senior High School teacher Mark Rawlings reported he had never seen the students before and when he told them to leave they refused, according to Steve Linders, a St. Paul police spokesman.

Rawlings, 48, a technology teacher, walked up to the two 16-year-old males “and tried to guide them out of the classroom,” Linders said, adding that the report indicated the teacher had “gently touched the students.” Suddenly, one of the males turned and punched Rawlings on the chin, Linders said.

The other teen then threw a punch, hitting Rawlings in the eye, according to Linders.

“The teacher tried to protect himself by grabbing onto the suspects,” Linders said. He said they spilled out into the hallway and all three fell to the ground. When the teacher fell, “he hit the back of his head fairly hard,” Linders said.

The police report refers to the teens as students, but doesn’t indicate whether they attend Como, Linders said.

The call to an officer went out at 10:40 a.m. The students were in the school’s office, along with the teacher. All three were interviewed there.

School staff took Rawlings to Regions Hospital, Linders said. It was unclear what his condition was, but he was alert enough to give a statement.

A police report didn’t detail what the students had done to try to disrupt the class, Linders said.

The students were released, with the officer telling them they would probably face charges, Linders said.

St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Valeria Silva said in a statement Wednesday, “Violent behavior is completely unacceptable and the news of this situation troubles me greatly.”

In an email to parents Wednesday, Theresa Neal, principal of Como Park Senior High, added: “There are severe consequences for students who behave this way and we will follow our strict discipline procedures as outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. Please know that I will not tolerate any behavior that puts our students and staff at risk.”

Wednesday’s case was the second time this schoolyear that a St. Paul school district teacher was taken to the hospital after a fight involving students.

On Dec. 4, Central High School teacher John Ekblad was injured while trying to break up a lunchroom fight between students.

Ekblad has since sued the district, Silva and assistant superintendent Teresa Battle, saying they failed to protect him despite knowing the school and the student who attacked him were “dangerous.” In the suit he said he suffered permanent injuries.

The teachers union cited the attack in pressing the district for school climate reforms. A tentative teacher contract agreement, which has yet to be voted on by the school board, includes $4.5 million over three years for pilot projects at several schools aimed at implementing restorative practices, which emphasize relationship building over punishing students.