“I just feel like they’re both wrong because I don’t think a child should put their hands on an adult,” LaShay Hollie said.
CROWLEY, Texas — A cell phone video showing a student slapping a teacher at Summer Creek Middle School is now under investigation by Crowley ISD.
“He sent me the video. My mouth just dropped,” said LaShay Hollie, a concerned Crowley ISD parent.
The video, shared with WFAA by another parent after being airdropped to several students, shows a seventh-grade male student striking a teacher during an altercation last Friday.
“Wow. Like, why did this happen? Why did they take it this far? What provoked this child to want to slap an adult?” Hollie said.
Hollie told WFAA she did not hear from the school immediately after the incident but, like many parents, expressed her concerns after seeing the video on social media.
“I looked at it several times because, on both ends, I just feel like they’re both wrong because I don’t think a child should put their hands on an adult,” she said.
The mother of the student seen in the video told WFAA that her son suffered a busted lip which led to his face swelling up after the teacher punched him. Crowley ISD Police took her son into custody according to the mother without treating him for his injuries.
She told WFAA she learned about the altercation after arriving at the school to pick up her son who had already been transported to the school’s police department, she says without anyone notifying her. The boy’s mother says her son has had constant headaches since the incident.
District Responds to Viral Video
Crowley ISD confirmed that the same video is being used as evidence in a school police investigation.
A district spokesperson provided a statement saying they are aware of “a physical altercation involving a teacher and a student” and that they are investigating the situation. The district also stated that their “top priority remains the safety and well-being” of students and staff.
“I just feel like he should have just restrained him more versus to where he’s looking like he’s throwing punches at the boy,” Hollie said.
School Places Teacher on Leave
On Monday, the principal of Summer Creek Middle School sent a letter to parents acknowledging the video’s circulation on social media and informing them that the teacher involved has been placed on administrative leave.
Principal Joseph Cato also wrote that the names of both the teacher and student will not be made public.
“I just feel like they need to put him back in training. And then the boy should get consequences as well,” Hollie said.
Another Parent Speaks Out
WFAA also spoke with Summer Creek Middle School parent Lierra Johnson, who says she has had direct contact with the student involved in the altercation.
“I myself had to intervene and stop this same child from getting jumped (in Dec of 2024 before Christmas Break) by 8th graders when picking my children up in a shopping strip near the school,” Johnson said.
Johnson does not support any kind of violence at school. But as a concerned mother, she says a conversation with the seventh grader late last year gave her insight.
“I personally took him home due to that large crowd of 8th graders trying to jump him. My heart aches for him,” said Johnson. “He is a good kid from what I observed but he just doesn’t have support from administration when he is at school. He stated he had to teach himself to fight back due to the bullies he faces day in and day out.”
Crowley ISD continues to investigate the incident as parents and the community call for accountability and appropriate action for all involved.
