After a violent incident that took place in the district was captured on film and went viral, DeSoto ISD plans to implement some big changes when students return at the end of Spring Break.

The district canceled classes on March 11 following a viral video that showed a student of DeSoto West Middle School throwing a chair at a substitute teacher.

In the disturbing video, the chair seems to hit the teacher in the head, prompting him to then begin throwing chairs, as well.

According to school leaders, the new rules include:

  • Activities in hallways and common areas at all schools in the district will be monitored by staff.
  • Student Support Services will be housed at every secondary campus. This way, campus support can be deeper and more responsive.
  • The use of cell phones, earbuds, and headphones by students during the school day is prohibited. Violations of this rule could lead to various punishments, from confiscation of devices to suspension.

Views on student technology use vary. Some taxpayers believe that restricting students from using technology could lead to greater problems.

“I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen if they take the cell phones. I think it’s going to be worse than chair-throwing,” Loretta Haynes of DeSoto said.

Others in the suburban Dallas district said that cell phone videos and social media have helped to expose occurrences that may have otherwise gone undiscovered, such as last week’s classroom chaos.

“Had I not seen a TikTok video, I never would have seen a chair being thrown this morning,” said Frank Bell, whose children went to DeSoto schools.

DeSoto ISD officials say that more changes could be in store as the district reviews other policies, including dress code and enrollment. According to officials, DeSoto ISD is not an “open” enrollment district, but rather a “selective” one, meaning students who are not in good academic or disciplinary standing can be asked to leave.

The district is additionally holding mandatory parent meetings for each of its campuses during the week of March 21-24, when students return from Spring Break.