CNN
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A substitute teacher in north Texas was fired after she “encouraged students to fight each other during class,” the Mesquite Independent School District said.
School officials learned Thursday morning of a video showing fights the previous day in a Kimbrough Middle School class, which prompted an “immediate investigation,” the district said in an emailed statement to CNN. The school is in Mesquite, less than 15 miles east of Dallas.
“Our investigation revealed that this substitute teacher encouraged students to fight each other during class, outlined rules for the students to follow and even instructed a student to monitor the classroom door while the fights took place,” the statement said.
The substitute teacher, who was not identified, had been working for the district since March 6 and was fired Thursday, the district said. It also referred the incident to police to “pursue possible criminal charges,” the statement said.
The substitute teacher’s actions were “appalling and intolerable,” the district added.
The Mesquite Police Department is investigating, a spokesperson told CNN. No arrests have been made, the spokesperson added.
Campus administrators on Thursday afternoon contacted parents of the students in the class and informed them of the situation and the school’s response, according to the statement.
“As educators, our hearts are heavy knowing that an individual entrusted with the supervision and care of our students could behave in this manner, and we share the disgust that the families of students in this class must feel,” the statement reads.
