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On Wednesday, March 9, a video featuring an altercation between DeSoto West Middle School students and a reported substitute teacher went viral after it was uploaded on social media. The video showcased the teacher and students throwing chairs at each other amidst the confrontation.
One of the first videos was posted by DeSoto resident Rhonda Kaye, whose child is reportedly a DeSoto West Middle School student. In the post, which has since been deleted, Kaye reported that the incident took place in the first week of March.
Later, multiple videos showcased the involved faculty member throwing a chair at the student. However, it is presumed that the student or students had thrown a chair first, which injured the teacher. The video showed the teacher bleeding.
Police Investigation and response of the school district to the DeSoto West Middle School controversy
While the viral video showcased the altercation between students and the teacher, it is not evident what caused such an escalation. Later on March 10, the DeSoto Police Department released their statement on Facebook, where they mentioned that the incident was under investigation.
The local Texas Police Department also revealed their plans to provide more security at the school to prevent further incidents. However, the duration of this extra security deployment at the school is unknown.
In the post, they wrote:
"In response to the videos, tomorrow (Friday) there will be a larger police presence at Desoto West to prevent any further incidents. The safety and security of the children and staff members is a top priority."
Meanwhile, after receiving a lot of online flak, DeSoto Independent School District (ISD) released its statement on the organization's website. Their statement read:
"Videos of the incident were captured and posted to social media. The actions of those featured in the video are not reflective of the larger body of students and staff of DeSoto ISD."
The ISD also mentioned that they will enforce consistent student guidelines when possible and will increase the frequency of monitoring students on school premises. They also promised an increased police presence near the school to de-escalate future conflicts surrounding the schools.
However, ISD's statement also mentioned that "unauthorized filming within the school setting and the posting of such content online" violates the student's code of conduct. They also added that these violations might result in disciplinary action against the pupil.
Following the incident, DeSoto ISD canceled classes on Friday, March 11. Furthermore, the ISD also issued a ban on students using phones and earphones during school hours from Monday.
