A substitute teacher in Mesquite, Texas, was arrested and charged with four counts of child endangerment after encouraging students to fight in her classroom. Natally Garcia, 24, allegedly made rules and created a space for 12 and 13-year-old students to fight while instructing others to guard the door. The incident occurred on April 12th at Kimbrough Middle School, and video footage was used to confirm the accusations.
Classroom Violence
The video footage revealed that at least four students were seen fighting in the classroom while the teacher called out “30 seconds” before the start of one of the fights. The video also recorded a timer going off at various intervals during the fights. The mother of one of the students, Betty Martinez, said that her daughter was frightened and secretly recorded the fight. Other students have since threatened Martinez’s daughter for recording the video.
The Mesquite Independent School District stated that Garcia had only been employed as a substitute teacher for approximately one month and was fired immediately after the incident. The school district’s statement added that Garcia’s actions were “appalling and intolerable” and expressed disgust at the affected families of the students, as reported by Fox News.
Police Lieutenant Brandon Ricketts said that Garcia had been “definitely trying to conceal her actions and actions that were going on in the class.” The substitute teacher faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count of endangerment if convicted. The incident is the latest case of physical altercations in schools, with many schools implementing measures to reduce such incidents in classrooms.
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Condemnation and Consequences
The actions of Natally Garcia, a substitute teacher in Texas, have been condemned after she was caught on video encouraging students to fight in her classroom. The video showed Garcia making rules and creating a space for 12 and 13-year-old students to fight while instructing others to guard the door. The Mesquite Independent School District fired Garcia immediately after the incident, and she faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each count of endangerment if convicted, according to NY Daily News.
Police Lieutenant Brandon Ricketts stated that Garcia had tried to conceal her actions and those of her students. The incident is the latest in a series of physical altercations in schools, and many schools are implementing measures to reduce such incidents in classrooms. The actions of Garcia have been deemed “appalling and intolerable” by the Mesquite Independent School District, which expressed its disgust at the affected families of the students involved.
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