A Florida sixth grade teacher has been arrested and charged after students reported a Fight Club-style brawl system was operating in her classroom.
Angel Drew Footman is accused of facilitating fights between students on March 22 and 23 and giving the competitors certain rules they had to abide by.
The 23-year-old educator allegedly told the combatants that they weren't allowed to scream or pull the other person's hair.
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The fight was also only allowed to last for 30 seconds and students were reportedly told not to film the battle with their phones.
Yahoo News says court documents reveal videos filmed during the fights show Footman sitting or standing near her desk.
The school was tipped off to the alleged behaviour when a school resource officer discovered sixth graders were having brawls in the classroom.
Leon County Schools (LCS) has released a statement on the matter.
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LCS Public Information Officer Chris Petley said (via Tallahassee Reports): "From the outside looking in you can see that her action, or inaction, was just unacceptable at any place in a classroom in Leon County Schools."
In a press release, the LCS added: “The district was made aware of a situation at Griffin Middle School involving serious allegations of misconduct by a teacher.
"The teacher involved was immediately terminated (March 24) and Superintendent Hanna requested law enforcement to draw up legal charges related to the incident.
"The Leon County Sheriff’s Office initiated a criminal investigation which led to the individual’s arrest on April 7.”
WCTV has reviewed court documents and the criminal complaint against Footman alleges rematches were encouraged and students from other classes were roped in to participate in fights.
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The documents added that the 23-year-old admitted 'that she knows she has poor classroom management skills', according to the Daily Mail.
The New York Post says Footman denied organising the fights but agreed she didn't report the brawls to school administrators.
Three administrators have reportedly said they can hear Footman's voice in the videos, where she's heard saying 'stop pulling hair' and 'break it up'.
She's now been charged with four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Complex reports the 23-year-old is scheduled to be arraigned on May 4 and she faces up to a year for each count against her.
Topics: US News
Stewart Perrie