A substitute teacher in Mesquite, Texas, has been terminated by the school district after allegedly encouraging students to engage in physical altercations within her classroom at Kimbrough Middle School. The incident was discovered on Wednesday and described as "appalling and intolerable" by the Mesquite Independent School District (MISD).
Video footage and information provided by a concerned parent, Beatriz Martinez, revealed that the fighting was severe enough for some students to leave the classroom with bleeding injuries. According to reports, the teacher's involvement went beyond simply encouraging fights; she also laid down rules for participants to follow and assigned lookouts during these altercations.
Two fights were captured on video and audio recordings obtained from one of the student's smartphones. This incident comes shortly after a Florida teacher was charged Monday with four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor following allegations that she facilitated classroom brawls among girls at her middle school in Tallahassee.
Mesquite Independent School District officials have referred this matter to local law enforcement, who are now investigating possible criminal charges against the former substitute teacher.
Parent Beatriz Martinez expressed devastation over this turn of events, stating that her daughter – who recorded one fight – has since received threats from fellow students for reporting what transpired inside their classroom.
"I'm devastated," said Martinez. "My daughter is getting death threats because she did what I taught her: stand up against injustice."
The MISD reiterated its commitment to ensuring student safety through swift action against any inappropriate behavior exhibited by staff members or students alike.
In an official statement released by MISD spokesperson Ted Madden: “This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our schools. We took immediate action upon learning about this situation.”
As police investigations continue into potential criminal charges against the fired substitute teacher, parents like Beatriz Martinez hope such incidents can be prevented in the future to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for their children.