Florida Substitute Teacher Arrested for Encouraging Students to Assault Classmate
A substitute teacher in Florida has been arrested on child abuse charges after allegedly instructing elementary school students to physically attack their classmate last month, as revealed by new details on Sunday. Geanene White, a substitute teacher at the YMCA Tiger Academy in Jacksonville, faces charges related to an incident on Feb. 12 where she allegedly encouraged four students to take turns hitting and kicking their peer, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as reported by Action News Jax. The victimized student reportedly disobeyed White’s instructions to work in small groups, leading the substitute teacher to incite violence as a solution, according to a police affidavit filed on Sunday.
White, 57, supposedly asked her class, “Who in here can beat him up?” leading four students to volunteer for the aggressive act. The students were then instructed by White to individually assault the victim inside the classroom, as detailed by the Miami Herald. Following the attacks, White allegedly pushed the victim to the ground causing him to hit his head on a desk, according to the affidavit.
After the incident, White reportedly dragged the student on the ground by his collar and reported him to school authorities, claiming he required “behavioral assistance,” as per the Miami Herald. White denies instigating the assault, alleging that the student was involved in two fights within the classroom. However, classmates, including one of the accused attackers, stated that the substitute teacher initiated the incident, with one student telling authorities that “the teacher told him to do it.”
During interviews, police officers observed cuts and bruises on the assaulted student’s head, the Miami Herald reported. White is currently facing a charge of child abuse and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the affidavit filed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Mar. 2.
Both the YMCA Tiger Academy and Duval County Public Schools have stated that the teacher underwent proper vetting procedures, as mentioned in a statement provided to the Miami Herald by the YMCA.
