A viral video of a White student verbally and physically assaulting a Black substitute teacher has resulted in an investigation in Fort Worth Texas' Castleberry School District.
The video became viral after being reposted on Reddit, as part of the subReddit "PublicFreakout."
WARNING: NSFW language
The video began with the student in question, a White teenage girl, angrily approaching the desk of the Black substitute teacher, who was speaking on the landline phone on her desk.
After the student ended the call the teacher was making, the teacher calmly tried to move the students hand from the receiver, which resulted in the student slapping the teacher on the arm.
Audible vocal reactions could be heard from the student recording the incident, as well as the teacher simply replying "Oh no no no no no no" to the student's violent outburst.
After the student confronted the teacher, demanding that she "deal with" her, the teacher calmly reminded the student that "you touched me, I did not touch you."
The teacher briefly left the room, and could be heard calling for help in the hallway, as the student proceeded to make a call on the landline phone.
Managing to keep her cool, the teacher made an attempt to stop the student from making the call, only to result in another verbal outburst from the student.
"No, I'm calling my mama, you ain't about to f*ck me up, b*tch!"
After the teacher gave a stunned look to the rest of the class, who can be heard mumbling in astonishment, the student was able to reach her mother and demanded she come pick her up at once, telling her things were about to get "f*cked up."
"You wanna talk to her? Because she's Black and she's f*cking pissing me off right now."
The student then threw the phone in the direction of the teacher, missing her, and stormed out of the classroom as the teacher calmly returned the phone to the receiver.
Redditors were in awe of how the teacher remained so composed throughout the highly unpleasant encounter, even when the teen became physically abusive.
"Wow the teacher is so composed."- BauerHouse.
"I work in special education and have worked with kids with severe behavior issues. This sub is a f*cking pro with her non-reactions. Not sure how familiar she is with this class, but this might have been the best course of action to not have that girl escalate more. - joantheunicorn.
"That lady has the patience of a saint." - BrdsONAwire
"Good for the sub!"- Ufloridagatorsf
"Absolutely this sub handled this monster child brilliantly well...just hope the student recording the video also sent a copy to her so she can defend herself to the principal and school board." - rewriteqtly
Others were horrified by the behavior of this unnamed teen, wasting no time in condemning her and her actions, with some attributing her behavior to her upbringing
"Trashiest sh*t I've ever seen." - Efdamus.
"She seems like the kid who's called her mommy once a week from one of the offices there."- Gunners414.
"In my day, this shit would get you expelled and sent to an alternative school. We would get suspended for fighting each other, but hitting a teacher on purpose..."- FreydisTit
"If I were her I'd be extremely embarrassed to even think to act like that in front of the other classmates. That's not something anyone will soon forget."- RedS3V
"I would bet 100% this girl is from a racist household. The fact she felt it was alright to tell her mom the reason for her behavior was racially motivated says a lot." - MillHall78
Castleberry high school subsequently released a statement regarding the incident on their Twitter page.
pic.twitter.com/h5RpuB1mgK
— Castleberry High School (@CastleberryHigh) November 22, 2021
Saying they were "greatly disturbed" by the content of the video, the school first made a point of commending the substitute teacher for how she handled the situation.
"We first want to commend the teacher for the calm demeanor and utter professionalism she demonstrated throughout the entirety of the incident, even when the situation turned violent and offensive."They also revealed they had brought local law enforcement in to investigate the matter and were also conducting an investigation of their own, and this type of behavior had no place in their school.
"Harassment, racism and violence against our teachers will not be tolerated at Castleberry ISD, and we will take swift and effective actions to protect our teachers so they can perform their duties and educate students in a safe environment."
The school's statement wasn't quite good enough for a number of Twitter users, namely how there was no mention of consequences for the student in the video.
Several demanded her expulsion, while others called for her arrest.
I hope that girl from the Castleberry High School whose in the viral video being disrespectful is EXPELLED!!!!
— TallNProudTaurean ♉ ✊🏾🖤✊🏾🖤🏀🏈 (@tnpatl) November 23, 2021
📷 This little girl was being very disrespectful towards her substitute teacher. In my day, we show respect for our elders, especially teachers. This took place at Castleberry High School. #CastleberryHighSchool #CastleberryHighKaren... https://t.co/8DgJPz4gpd
— Superman 2050 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@Superman20502) November 23, 2021
How long will black people be expected to keep their composure, stay patient, and tolerate this shit?!
THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!
This black teacher deserves a high raise that will leave her comfortable forever!
That racist white needs to be barred from an education and imprisoned! pic.twitter.com/1zNN28MPeR
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) November 23, 2021
Amazingly, Castleberry High School need help with the spelling of 'expelled'... https://t.co/4hrwPwIiMX
— Chris Flack (@CM_Flack) November 22, 2021
You took too long to respond.
— Twinda (@Twinda7) November 22, 2021
There was a new development, however, when Brittney Evans, the mother of the student in the video, later spoke with ABC affiliate WFAA regarding the incident.
Revealing she was "very upset" after seeing the video, Evans revealed her daughter is "autistic, bi-polar, and battles depression with anxious distress", and has been in ongoing meetings with the school district to move her into special education classes.
She told WFAA she wished the school would "label her correctly" so instances like this could be avoided.
Evans also claimed she didn't know where her daughter would have learned the foul language she used in the video, as no one in their household ever uses it.
Evans also profusely apologized to the substitute teacher in the video.
"She is an amazing woman."
"She is calm, very collected, super sweet."
"I wanted to reach out to her but didn't know how."
"She is, in my eyes, a saint. And needs an award"
WFAA revealed the teen is currently facing a three day suspension, with further punishment possible.
But Steve Poole, the Executive Director for United Educators Association believes she deserves to face criminal charges.
"What that student did is a felony under state law."
"Assaulting a public servant - and a teacher is a public servant - is a felony."
"And hopefully the student will face appropriate consequences."