A Texas eighth-grade student is facing a felony aggravated assault charge after the brutal beating of his middle school teacher, according to a news reports. KWES-TV.
The student was arrested Wednesday in the attack, which took place at Bowie Middle School in Odessa, according to KWES-TV in Midland.
The Ector County Independent School District addressed the assault in a statement to the station.
“This is shocking and terrible, and will not be tolerated,” the statement said.
“We have been dealing with fights and violence recently, and want our community to know that behavior is unacceptable and we will do all we can to prevent it.”
“We have watched violence among children on the rise here, around the state and across the country; we know our children are hurting and need us to address mental health challenges, while we also hold them accountable for their actions. Our district will continue to address these concerns with students and families.”
According to KWES, the altercation started when the teacher confiscated the student’s cell phone, in accordance with school policy that forbids students from using them unless outside school.
The attack was captured on video by a person in the classroom — apparently a student who was violating the cell phone policy.
The KWES report is below:
Students screamed and shouted as their classmate attacked the teacher.
The masked student appeared to struggle with the teacher as someone tells him not to touch the teacher’s possession.
The youth proceeded to strike her with a series of blows to the face before pushing her to the ground.
One video ends before the conclusion of the attack, but the assailant is able to beat the teacher for nearly 20 seconds without the other students intervening.
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The student was arrested and charged with a first-degree felony.
He’ll also face disciplinary action such as potential expulsion, according to district officials quoted by KWES.
District Superintendent Scott Muri is pledging to support the victimized teacher.
“We’re providing full support to that teacher to make sure that she feels confident and comfortable to return to work and we’ll continue to support her and her family as we navigate the situation,” the superintendent said, according to KWES.
Neither the student or teacher has been publicly identified.
