Just last year in my own inner city high school, a teacher confiscated an iPod from a female student. She slapped the meek and kind male math teacher on the spot and he had her removed from class by security. She was given 10 days outdoor suspension (I was sick that day and found out in the aftermath). She then returned to campus after school when this kindly man was running a tutoring class on his own time to help struggling children. The girl brought her crack addict mother and equally strung out on meth brother who held the Golden Gloves in boxing. As he was locking up for the afternoon (without any security in sight) he was ambushed by the group and his jaw broken in 3 places. I often stay late to grade papers. As I said this day I was out with the flu. This happened right across the hall from my room. I can't tell you how much I regret not working that day just to catch these wolves in the act of savaging a sheep. I promise you, they'd have spent more time in the hospital than their hapless victim! It's not that I'm any tougher, but with their attention fixed on the victim and their backs to me, I'd have had a pretty free reign in any action I decided to take in defense of a helpless victim.
My own students approached me afterward and asked if I was now "frightened to come to school." I responded thusly: "Look, I'm too young to die and too old to take an A$$ whuppin'....so I'm just gonna kill you." They said "Yeah we thought you'd say somethin' like that!"
They'd have expelled her outright in my school district, and rightly so.
Reminds me of a FReeper tag line I've seen. "Never pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight he'll just kill you."
Simple and effective response. I like it.