Texas substitute teacher is fired for turning middle school classroom into a FIGHT CLUB and encouraging 12 and 13-year-old students to brawl until they were bloodied

• Video shows the classroom fight club on Wednesday in Mesquite, Texas
• Substitute teacher encouraged middle schoolers to brawl in organized fights
• She has been fired and now faces a criminal investigation by police 

A substitute teacher in Texas has been fired after an investigation found she ran a classroom fight club and encouraged middle school students to brawl.   

The substitute, 24-year-old Natally Garcia, was immediately fired and now faces a criminal investigation over the incident, an official with Mesquite Independent School District told DailyMail.com on Saturday.

The shocking incident unfolded on Wednesday at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, on the outskirts of Dallas, and was partially captured on cell phone video obtained by KXAS-TV. 

The disturbing footage depicts desks in the classroom pushed into a circle to create a ‘fight ring’ as pairs of 12- and 13-year-old students brawl and the substitute looks on while admonishing the class not to film, saying ‘I do not want this on record.’ 

‘Our investigation revealed that this substitute teacher encouraged students to fight each other during class, outlined rules for the students to follow and even instructed a student to monitor the classroom door while the fights took place,’ the school district said. 

This substitute teacher in Texas has been fired after an investigation found she ran a classroom fight club and encouraged middle school students to brawl

Shocking footage depicts desks in the classroom pushed into a circle to create a ‘fight ring’ as pairs of 12- and 13-year-old students brawl

In a statement, Mesquite ISD confirmed that it had fired the substitute teacher seen in the footage and referred the matter to police for a criminal investigation, saying: ‘Her actions are appalling and intolerable.’ 

A spokesperson for the Mesquite Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Saturday morning. 

Beatriz Martinez, whose daughter recorded the incident, told the local NBC affiliate: ‘I was devastated. I was like, I couldn’t watch the full video.’ 

‘I had to stop it multiple times because I didn’t think it was real. I was like, this must be a prank. This is not real,’ the outraged mother added. 

Some students left the classroom bloodied, Martinez said her daughter reported, though it’s unclear whether there were any serious injuries in the brawls.   

‘Who in their right mind? Because I trust my child to go to school, but I also trust the staff to keep my kids safe. And then this lady, she just is actually making them fight,’ Martinez said. 

Video of the incident shows at least two pairs of students were placed into the fight ring to brawl in one-on-one combat.

Martinez said her daughter was fearful that she would be forced to fight as well, as students called out the names of other kids to fight, but that she was ‘saved by the bell’ when the period ended. 

‘The teacher involved was a substitute teacher employed by Mesquite ISD since March 6,’ Mesquite ISD said in a statement.

‘As of yesterday, she is no longer employed by the district and is not eligible for rehire in any capacity,’ the statement added.

Mesquite Independent School District confirmed that it had fired the substitute teacher seen in the footage and referred the matter to police for a criminal investigation

The shocking incident unfolded on Wednesday at Kimbrough Middle School in Mesquite, on the outskirts of Dallas

The district said that on Thursday, ‘campus administrators personally contacted all parents of the students in the class by phone to inform them of the situation and the school’s swift response.’ 

‘As educators, our hearts are heavy knowing that an individual entrusted with the supervision and care of our students could behave in this manner, and we share the disgust that the families of students in this class must feel,’ the district said.

‘MISD referred this matter to Mesquite Police to pursue possible criminal charges resulting from this former substitute’s reckless and irresponsible actions.’

It is not the first time school officials have been accused of encouraging or allowing student fight clubs.

In 2018, another video emerged showing a substitute teacher in a Connecticut high school egging on his students as they punched each other in a ‘fight club’-style brawl. 

The substitute teacher in that case was criminally charged, but was granted pre-trial diversion by a judge, allowing the charges to be dismissed with successful completion of probation.  

Charges were also filed against the school superintendent and principal, alleging they knew of the ‘fight club’ but didn’t report it to police. Those charges were later dropped.

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