One Texas teacher is facing assault charges after a video surfaced online of her physically attacking a student. The video shows 63-year-old Mary Hastings repeatedly hitting a male student in her Ozen High School classroom of Beaumont, Texas, last Friday.
https://twitter.com/khay2you/status/718486377873080320
Before assaulting the student, Hastings is seen shoving his papers onto the floor. She then shouts: “Because you’re stopping him from graduating you idiot ass!” The student remains in his seat, asking why she attacked him. Hasting responds mimicking his question. The class erupts in screams laughing at the student.
As the iPhone era would have it, one student recorded the entire incident and posted it to Snapchat. Once on Twitter, users reacted to what happened in the 10-second video.
https://twitter.com/Thats_ATone/status/718510106120294401
https://twitter.com/Filthy_Cent/status/718609376370515971
If you work with black people/kids & cheer #MaryHastings for what she did:
— professor mir 🇵🇸 #FreePalestine (@ShabanaMir1) April 11, 2016
Please. Change jobs. NOW. https://t.co/sP5rnyFDfu
A classmate told the local news station the confrontation started after the student asked Hastings about a specific grade he received. She also said the teacher had never behaved that way, to her knowledge. Beaumont Independent School District immediately placed the math teacher on administrative leave after viewing the footage. Hastings was booked into the Jefferson County jail the same day. She has since posted a $2,500 bond.
