Police accused and arrested a Florida substitute teacher after she allegedly ordered students to "beat up" a classmate. This incident occurred on February 12 at the YMCA Tiger Academy in Jacksonville. Just last Sunday, we learned details on 57-year-old Geanene White's charges of child abuse, as per the New York Post.
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Substitute Teacher Arrested For Ordering Students To Fight Classmate
According to Action New Jax, White asked one of the students to get into a small group. When the student refused, the substitute grew frustrated, calling for a wild request to the classroom. "Who in here can beat him up?" asked White, leading four children to raise their hands.
White then allegedly got each of the students who volunteered to fight the victim one by one, and she watched. Reports stated that the volunteers hit the child a myriad of times on the body and head. On top of that, White pushed the boy into a desk.
After the dust had settled, she allegedly grabbed him "by the collar of his shirt and dragged him." White denied ever engaging in this horrifying incident, claiming she never encouraged the fighting or asked for volunteers. She also gave the excuse of simply attempting to pick the child up from the ground after the fights went down.
Following the harrowing school day, the First Coast YMCA notified parents with a statement. They revealed that they knew of the incident and that the Florida teacher was "properly vetted" since. "The safety and well-being of our students and staff have and will always be our top priority," it read. "We investigated the matter immediately according to protocol."
After the investigation, the statement announced that they "terminated the substitute teacher's employment." They also reported the incident to the Department of Children and Families, who also investigated with the authorities. It seems the investigation was successful since we now know of White's arrest and charges.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office charged White with child abuse and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the New York Post. As for the students who engaged in the fighting, we're unsure of if or how they are being punished.
