ODESSA, TX (KMID/KPEJ) – A viral video showing a student and teacher fighting at a Texas middle school led to the arrest of an eighth-grader.
The video appears to show a student assaulting a teacher over a cell phone dispute at Bowie Middle School in Odessa.
A spokesman for the Ector County Independent School District said the incident happened Wednesday.
After the fight, the eighth-grader was arrested and charged with a first-degree felony: Aggravated Assault on a Public Servant.
“This is shocking and appalling and will not be tolerated,” said Mike Adkins, a district spokesman. “We’ve been dealing with fighting and violence recently and we want our community to know that behavior is unacceptable and we will do everything we can to prevent it.”
In addition to the student’s criminal charge, Adkins said the student will “face disciplinary action through the Student Code of Conduct.”
“We’ve seen an increase in child abuse here in the state and across the country; we know our children are hurting and need us to address mental health challenges while holding them accountable for their actions. Our district will continue to address these issues with students and families,” he said.
The District Superintendent recognized the students in the district need more help addressing mental health challenges.
“We don’t have enough mental health resources to meet the needs of the children and families in this community,” said Superintendent Scott Murry. “We brought in teletherapy, our children now have access to therapists from a distance. These therapists also exist in other parts of our state. This is already an option in ECISD, but even with this addition there are still not enough resources for children and families.”
https://www.wkrg.com/national/8th-grader-arrested-after-allegedly-fighting-teacher-in-viral-video/
