Stupid school. The sad thing is that no matter what this kid did, he most likely would have gotten suspended. Lets say he just took the bully and pushed him away or just subdued him for a brief moment, the school would still have had an issue with it and suspended him. There is pretty much a ZERO policy rule for not placing your hand on someone else in school, even if its protecting another student. You're expected to get a teacher.
Yeah, he could have pulled kid, stood in middle, pushed him - I mean, the bully was actively swinging, so he had to act fast. But that punch was HARD, looked like he knocked the kid out. Could have killed him. Might have hurt less to be smacked with a 2x4 lol. He used his fist as a serious weapon, so from the school's point of view, I get it.
Still, I think "I handled my shit" may have been painted the entire incident in the wrong light. He's on social media saying "I'll tell you fcckers...." If he's polite and reverent and clear - "I defended this poor kid" - I bet he walks. If he's in the office laughing about "I handled my shit", well, if it comes down to administrator judgment, the puncher statement weighs into that, certainly.