A Louisville teacher has been fired after he was seen in a viral video fighting a student.
The incident took place back in August and was all caught on cellphone video which was ultimately reviewed by district officials who initially only reassigned the educator.
According to Wave 3 News, Jefferson County Public School officials say an unidentified Black student initiated a fight with teacher William Bennett, punching him in the back of the head before turning to walk away. The video then shows Bennett turning around, grabbing the student and throwing him to the ground where he pinned the pupil under his full body weight.
The fight continued despite multiple students attempting to get Bennett off of the child. When administrators stepped in, they couldn't break up the fight because Bennett had gripped the child by the hair so tightly and would not let go.
A separate video obtained by the school district shows Bennett later catching up with the student down the hallway before kicking him and starting another altercation. The student ran away from Bennett before bumping into another student.
In a statement to investigators, Bennett reportedly made claims that were "inconsistent with video evidence." The teacher said he'd attempted to remove himself from the scene by walking into a counselor's office despite video showing him walking at least 10 feet away from the office to start another fight with the student.
Termination documents obtained by the news outlet indicate Bennett –– who had initially been reassigned pending an investigation into the matter –– was let go by JCPS "on the basis of insubordination, conduct unbecoming of a teacher, inefficiency, incompetence, and neglect of duty."
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