PAUSD substitute teacher, Bob French, is recovering after being knocked down during a fight between two Paly sophomores during lunch on Monday.

French, who had been in the Enligsh portables near the train tracks, began to walk back to his fifth period classroom in order to get ready for class when he saw a crowd of students watching what he later found and felt to be a fight.

"I observed two kids who appeared to be fighting with one another," French said. "I looked around and saw that there were no adults in the area, so I approached them."

French put himself in the middle of the two students in hopes of stopping the fight and sending the surrounding students to their classrooms for fifth period.

"I thought that things were starting to cool off, but the next thing I knew I was knocked over on my right side," French said.

According to Paly assistant principal Doug Walker, a group of passing students helped French off of the ground while another student made sure that the two belligerent students were separated and the fight had stopped.

"I was on my way back from Town & Country, and I saw a big group of kids huddled together and when I looked in I saw Mr. French on the ground so I went to help him," sophomore Anabel Cervantes said.

"Kids were very concerned with when he [French] fell," Walker said. "I was very pleased by this reaction of the students with their respect for the teacher."

The spectators soon dispersed after campus security showed up. French was helped up, and was able to walk back and teach his class but administrators asked him to check with the health nurse later on.

"We [administration] just wanted to make sure that he was alright, it’s a routine process," Walker said.

French sustained no significant injuries, but he is still sore.

Although the administration does not know the exact cause of the fight, Walker explained that the two students involved in the feud had expressed aggressive behavior in the past months.

According to Walker,immediately after the fight, one of the students left campus. He notified the student of his suspension and told him not to come back to campus. The other student confessed his role in the fight on his own volition later on in the day.

"Both of the students are suspended, although the one that came forward received a lighter punishment," Walker said.

After talking with one of the parties Walker clarified that the two students had not meant to injure French.

"They just rolled into him," Walker said, "They didn’t mean to do it."

French understands the situation and is not upset with the students.

"I was just concerned that someone would get hurt," French said. "I hope that the students cool off and everything will be ok."