A Florida middle school teacher has been arrested for allegedly hosting fights between students on campus during school hours.
Angel Drew Footman, 23, a teacher at Griffin Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida, was taken into custody last Friday on four counts of aiding child delinquency, according to a press release from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).
Griffin Middle School administrators learned about the alleged “fight club” hosted by Footman after parents showed school officials videos of fights recorded by students. Footman can apparently be seen in the background near her desk in three of the videos, according to an LCSO arrest affidavit.
A search of school records indicated that Footman never reported the altercations to school officials.
After the videos were released, some of the sixth graders discussed the incidents with detectives.
The girls admitted to participating in the fights and alleged that Footman endorsed them. They reported that the fights occurred inside Footman’s classroom on March 22 and 23 and claimed they were invited back for further rounds.
Students confirmed that these fights were “pre-planned,” per the affidavit. The students also told detectives that Footman had rules for the fight club: “30 seconds, no screaming, no yelling, no phones.”
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged in its press release the part parents played in bringing the incident to light.
“LCSO appreciates the diligent parents and others for reporting the videos to administrators,” the statement read.
Detective Hannah Parry conducted interviews with the students involved and various members of the school’s faculty, as well as evaluated videos of the fights.
Parry wrote in the affidavit that Footman was the teacher shown in the video choosing not to intervene, and school officials positively identified her voice in the videos.
Footman allegedly can be heard saying, “Stop pulling hair,” according to the affidavit.
The teacher denied involvement in organizing the fights but acknowledged she did nothing to intervene and end them.
Detective Parry wrote in the probable cause affidavit that “Footman stated outright that she knows she has poor classroom management skills.”
Footman faces up to a year in prison for each charge if convicted, per Yahoo News. Arraignment is currently scheduled for May 4, WCTV reported.
