The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two violent fights on the same day at a local middle school, one of which was caught on video.
Deputies said on Friday, a staff member assaulted another employee at Theodore G. Davis Middle School, and video circulating on social media appears to show two students exchanging blows in a classroom while a substitute teacher and their classmates watch.
In the second case, investigators said the two middle school students were eventually separated, but not by an adult. Classmates stepped in, and the substitute teacher didn’t intervene or report the violence, according to administrators.
The violent video made rounds online and cost a substitute their job. The sheriff’s office said it will consult the state’s attorney about criminal charges.
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Authorities also said that the first fight allegedly involved two employees.
In a letter sent to parents over the weekend, Principal Robert Griffiths said another substitute inserted themselves into a tense situation between a teacher and an administrator before the fight started. .
“The substitute went to an area of the building that they were not teaching in, became aggressive, and physically reached toward the teacher, assaulting that teacher, before another staff member intervened,” the letter reads.
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The principal said in the letter that the substitute was escorted to a nearby office.
On Monday, representatives for the school district declined to offer further details, but confirmed that those substitute teachers no longer work for Charles County Public Schools.
While the investigations continue, “acts lacking professionalism such as this are not tolerated. Employees of CCPS who violate professional etiquette and endanger our students and staff, face school level discipline including immediate removal,” the letter goes on to say.
