LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Jeffersonville High School teacher is defending his actions after a video showed him putting a student in a headlock while trying to remove the student from a school bathroom.
Larry Wilder, the attorney for Jeffersonville High School teacher Casey Ritter, issued a statement to WDRB about the incident that happened around noon Monday, Nov. 24, in a boy's bathroom.
In the statement, Wilder said Ritter was injured "while attempting to enforce school safety rules inside a student restroom."
Ritter went into the restroom after seeing a group of students inside in violation of school policy, the statement said. Ritter, who was hired at the start of the school year, was assigned to hall and restroom duty to "prevent unsafe behavior" such as students gathering and use of illegal substances like smoking or vaping marijuana.
When Ritter entered the restroom, he told the students to leave then "detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from a closed stall" and saw a student inside the stall, the statement said.
The student wouldn't come out of the stall after Ritter's verbal instructions, and when Ritter tried to bring the student out, the statement said the student slammed the stall door on Ritter's hand, causing injuries that required medical treatment.
"The student remained combative and refused to leave the restroom despite numerous directives," the statement said.
Ritter tried to restrain and escort the student and used "additional force only" because of the student's continued resistance.
The statement said Ritter was just doing his duties assigned to him by the district.
“Casey’s job was to keep students safe and to ensure that the bathroom did not become a place where illegal drugs were being consumed,” Wilder said in the statement. “He made reasonable efforts to carry out his job, and the student in question refused to follow Casey’s instructions.”
State records show Ritter was hired under an emergency teaching permit which are approved when districts can’t find a fully licensed educator. Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree and show they’re actively working toward full licensure.
Ritter’s permit to teach visual arts was issued in September 2025 and expires next summer.
The statement issued Friday said Wilder advised Ritter to resign "so that he could fully defend his actions without limitations imposed by school employment."
In a statement posted on social media Monday, Greater Clark County Schools said, "The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and school community remain our highest priority.”
The district added that it has been communicating with school security as part of the ongoing investigation.
The student’s family said they’ve hired an attorney but aren’t speaking publicly about the incident.
Top Stories:
1 dead in early morning house fire in Louisville’s PRP neighborhood
Trump says one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by Afghan national has died
Volunteers serve up Thanksgiving kindness at Ronald McDonald House
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
