A Jacksonville mother is demanding accountability after her 16-year-old daughter was injured during a school pep rally game that turned unexpectedly violent.

According to family members, Westside High School student Nyla Millikin suffered a concussion and bruised ribs on Friday when a teacher allegedly slammed her to the ground while the two were competing in the final round of a musical chairs contest. The pep rally, held inside the school gym, was crowded with students when the incident occurred. Nyla told News4JAX that the teacher appeared overly competitive from the beginning. 

“He was a little too close to me from the beginning, from behind. So when the music stopped, you know how somebody pulls the chair and runs? I did that, sat down, then he ran after me, picked me up, and then slammed me,” Millikin said.

Her mother, Joanna Millikin, later posted a video of the encounter to TikTok, showing the moment when the teacher lifted and threw her daughter to the ground. The video also captured two people rushing to Nyla’s side to help her up while the man appeared to celebrate winning the game.

“To see her cry, it made me feel, I want to cry inside, because my daughter, she’s real tough, she’s competitive, like a sports player, and she never cries like that,” Joanna said. “But I know she was hurt when she came in that car and started crying to me.”

Joanna said she has since spoken with the school’s principal, who described the video as troubling and said he was surprised by the teacher’s behavior. News4JAX obtained a longer version of the recording, which showed the same employee shoving another student earlier in the game.

In response, Duval County Public Schools confirmed the teacher has been reassigned to duties without student contact while the Office of Professional Standards investigates. Officials declined to release further details, citing the ongoing review.

For now, Nyla says she wants to heal quickly and return to her normal school routine. “Some people don’t like school. I do,” she said. “I really don’t want to miss no things at school. Like, it’s just so crazy to me. I have to because of the situation.”