Texas substitute teacher is fired for turning middle school classroom into a fight club

A substitute teacher in Texas has been fired after an investigation found she ran a classroom fight club and encouraged high school students to fight.

The deputy, 24-year-old Natally Garcia, was fired immediately and now faces a criminal investigation into the incident, a Mesquite Independent School District official told DailyMail.com on Saturday.

The shocking incident took place Wednesday at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, on the outskirts of Dallas, and was partially captured on cell phone video obtained by KXAS TV.

The disturbing footage shows classroom desks pushed into a circle to create a “fighting ring” as pairs of 12- and 13-year-old students argue and the deputy watches as he urges the class not to film, saying: “I don’t want to record this.”

“Our investigation found that this substitute teacher encouraged students to fight each other during class, outlined rules for the students to follow, and even instructed a student to keep an eye on the classroom door while the fighting was happening,” the school district said.

Shocking footage shows classroom desks pushed into a circle to create a ‘fighting ring’ as pairs of 12- and 13-year-old students argue

In a statement, Mesquite ISD confirmed it had fired the substitute teacher seen in the footage and referred the matter to police for a criminal investigation, saying “Her actions are appalling and unacceptable.”

A spokesperson for the Mesquite Police Department told DailyMail.com Saturday morning that investigators were aware of the incident.

“No arrest has been made at this time, but the case is still under active investigation,” the police official said.

DailyMail.com could not immediately reach Garcia for comment.

Beatriz Martinez, whose daughter recorded the incident, told the local NBC affiliate, “I was devastated. I was like, I couldn’t watch the full video.”

“I had to stop it several times because I thought it wasn’t real. I was like, this must be a joke. This is not real,” the indignant mother added.

Some students left the classroom bloodied, Martinez said, her daughter reported, though it’s unclear if any serious injuries were sustained in the brawls.

‘Who is sane? Because I trust my child to go to school, but I also trust the staff to keep my kids safe. And then this lady, she just lets them fight,” Martinez said.

Video of the incident shows that at least two pairs of students were placed in the fighting ring to fight in one-on-one combat.

Martinez said her daughter feared she would also be forced to fight as students called other kids’ names to fight, but was “saved by the bell” when the period was over.

“The teacher involved was a substitute teacher who had been employed by Mesquite ISD since March 6,” Mesquite ISD said in a statement.

“As of yesterday, she is no longer employed by the district and is not eligible for reinstatement in any capacity,” the statement added.

Mesquite Independent School District confirmed that it had fired the substitute teacher seen in the footage and referred the matter to the police for a criminal investigation

The shocking incident happened Wednesday at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, on the outskirts of Dallas

The district said on Thursday, “campus administrators personally contacted all parents of the students in the class by telephone to update them on the situation and the school’s prompt response.”

“As educators, our hearts are heavy knowing that a person entrusted with the supervision and care of our students can behave in this manner, and we share the disgust that the families of students must feel in this classroom,” it said. district.

“MISD referred this case to the Mesquite Police Department for possible criminal prosecution resulting from the reckless and irresponsible actions of this former deputy.”

It’s not the first time school officials have been accused of encouraging or allowing student fight clubs.

In 2018, another video emerged showing a substitute teacher at a Connecticut high school taunting his students as they punched each other in a “fight club” style brawl.

The substitute teacher faced criminal charges in that case, but was granted a preliminary injunction by a judge, allowing the charges to be dismissed with successful completion of probation.

Charges were also filed against the school superintendent and principal, who claimed they knew about the ‘fight club’ but failed to report it to the police. Those charges were later dropped.