A 23-year-old teacher at Griffin Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida, has been accused of organizing fights in her classroom. According to WCTV, the woman has been arrested and charged.
More Details Regarding The Allegations Against The Florida Teacher
According to court documents obtained by the outlet, a School Resource Deputy was informed on March 24 that students were being allowed to fight in 23-year-old Angel Footman’s classroom.
In addition, school administrators were reportedly shown videos of alleged fights that took place on March 22 and March 23.
Furthermore, “several” sixth-grade girls informed detectives that they participated in “planned fights during school hours.” Footman not only invited the students to participate in the fights multiple times. But she also made statements during the altercations.
“30 seconds, no screaming, no yelling, no phones.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, a detective reviewed the footage and identified Footman sitting on her desk during the fights. Additionally, the 23-year-old failed to intervene and only made statements such as “no screaming, no nothing,” and “stop pulling hair.”
Footman also failed to report the altercations to school administrators.
A Tallahassee middle school teacher is accused of allowing her students to physically fight inside the classroom.
23-year-old Angel Footman, who denies organizing the fights, is now charged with four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. https://t.co/fgGHQbsPWc pic.twitter.com/4ROGi3aDRO
— Katie Kaplan (@KatieKaplanTV) April 10, 2023
Angel Footman’s Response & Consequent Charges
According to WCTV, Footman informed investigators that she did not organize the fights. However, she did not take action to stop them or report them to school officials.
Footman was booked at Leon County Sheriff’s Office. According to New York Post, she has since been released. However, the 23-year-old faces “four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”
Footman’s arraignment is reportedly scheduled for May 4.
Public Information Officer Chris Petley shared a statement on behalf of Leon County Schools, as reported by Tallahassee Reports.
“From the outside looking in you can see that her action, or inaction, was just unacceptable at any place in a classroom in Leon County Schools.”