DeSoto ISD cancels Friday classes after violent fight between teacher and student

DeSoto ISD cancels Friday classes after violent fight between teacher and student
DeSoto ISD announced it was canceling all classes on Friday after a violent fight between a substitute teacher and a student this week. The district made the move after a video of the fight was posted online. It shows a student throwing a chair at a substitute teacher and that teacher throwing chairs back.
DESOTO, TX – DeSoto ISD announced it was canceling all classes on Friday after a violent fight between a substitute teacher and a student this week.
The district made the move after a video of the fight was posted online. It happened Wednesday at DeSoto West Middle School.
It is not known what led to the incident. And the district and DeSoto police did not say whether criminal charges would be brought against the child or teacher involved.
Video posted and posted online showed what appeared to be a fight that occurred in a middle school classroom on Wednesday.
FOX 4 has not independently verified the source of the video and does not show it, but it does show a student throwing a chair at a substitute teacher and that teacher throwing chairs back.
The teacher’s face was also bloody.
The district released a statement confirming an “assault” in a classroom. He said he does not condone the behavior in the video and that “all parties” will be held accountable.
DeSoto ISD did not say whether the teacher or student have ever been disciplined.
DeSoto police would only say they are aware of the incident and have a greater presence on campus.
Craig Miller is a school safety consultant and former Dallas ISD Police Chief. He says legal action will likely be taken.
“[The student will] face serious assault charges based on the angle I saw in the video,” he said. “It could very well be aggravated assault, which could also be reinforced, perhaps because it happened to an educator in a school environment.
Miller says that in this case, the teacher probably has the right to defend himself. But he says the video doesn’t tell the whole story, and we don’t know what led to the incident.
“There’s cause and effect, and I think the school had to look at the teacher’s response. I mean, definitely, that’s part of it,” Miller said. “I know if you watch this video, we’re all like, ‘That’s exactly what I would do too. But I think it’s important for us to take a step back. We are the adults in the room. Do we need to do this? Did this person have to do this to continue defending themselves? And that’s part of it. .”
On Thursday evening, DeSoto ISD announced that it was canceling classes for Friday. Instead, staff are instructed to come and review district policies.
When students return on March 21, the district says the following changes will be in place:
- Each school will have staff monitoring hallways and common areas.
- Employees of the district’s Student Support Services department will now move from district headquarters to college campuses to provide faster response.
- Students will not be permitted to use cell phones, headphones and earphones during the school day.
Each campus will also have a mandatory safety meeting with parents.
The district is also creating a dress code review committee to make a proposal to the council before the next school year.