A Mesquite Independent School District substitute teacher who allegedly organized fight clubs among her students is now facing multiple indictments.
Natally Garcia, a 24-year-old who has since been arrested and terminated from Mesquite ISD, is facing four counts of endangering children after being indicted by a Dallas County grand jury.
Garcia is accused of creating space for students at Kimbrough Middle School to physically fight each other, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. She also apparently instructed some students to watch the classroom door, presumably to keep other teachers or students in the school from finding out about the fighting.
Video footage that emerged after the fights showed two boys fighting, followed by two girls. The students involved were 12 and 13 years of age. Students fought until they were bloody and were encouraged by Garcia as the brawls escalated.
In the video, Garcia is seemingly shown using a timer to referee the fights between students. Each conflict lasted around 30 seconds.
After the video emerged, Mesquite ISD fired Garcia and referred her to the police before releasing a statement.
“Our investigation revealed 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 monitor the classroom door while the fights took place. Her actions are appalling and intolerable.”
Child endangerment is generally pursued as a felony of the third degree. Garcia faces anywhere from two to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 if convicted.
Oddly, Garcia was not the only teacher arrested for supposedly organizing a student fight club last semester. A 23-year-old teacher in Florida was also arrested for allegedly arranging a similar string of brawls between students.
It is unclear if there was a connection between the two incidents or if the Florida fight club inspired the Mesquite fight club.
