Texas Substitute Teacher Allegedly Encouraged Students to Fight in Classroom
Fox 4 News reports that 24-year-old substitute teacher Nattaly Garcia has been fired after allegedly allowing and encouraging students to get into fistfights in the classroom. Garcia reportedly turned herself in to the local police on Monday. She has been charged with four counts of child endangerment.
The incident took place at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, Texas. In a video filmed secretly by a student, Garcia is shown telling the classroom, “I do not want this on record.” The video also shows Garcia directing a student to stand at the door and ordering them to hold it shut if someone tried to come inside the classroom. The video proceeds to show two apparent fist fights, one between a pair of girls and another between two boys.
Laura Jobe, a spokesperson for the Mesquite Independent School District, told People in a statement the school district immediately began an investigation the next morning after they were made aware of the videos, and Garcia had been fired. She stated no injuries were reported after the incident and that no other employees were involved. However, according to NBC, it has been reported that some students left the classroom bloodied after the fights last Wednesday.
It is not clear if Garcia entered pleas to the charges she faces or retained an attorney. Betty Martinez, the mother of the student who filmed the incident, told NBC he's now concerned about the teachers at her daughter's school, recommending the school district "take extra precautions" when hiring substitutes.
