A substitute teacher and high school student face criminal charges
after engaging in a wild classroom fight that has since gone viral on social media.The fight happened on Monday at Rocky Mount High School in Rocky Mount, N.C., ABC 11 reports. The now-viral video shows Xaviera Steele and a student arguing over a cell phone before things turned violent.
The student confronts Steele, demanding her cell phone back, but the teacher won’t budge. After the student steps up to Steele, who appears to be calling for backup, the teacher warns the student not to touch her.
“Don’t touch me,” Steele says.
But as the student continued reaching for the phone Steele was holding, the teacher responded by pushing the student back.
“Girl, don’t touch me,” Steele says while pushing the student back. That’s when the student responds by throwing a fist at the teacher, igniting their classroom brawl.
Steele is seen returning punches after knocking the student to the ground. Once on top, Steele continues pummeling fists as her dress rises, revealing her bottom.
Steele and the student were both charged with simple assault in the fight that resulted in no injuries. The teacher received a written promise to appear in court and was released.
She has been employed with the Nash County Public School System for about a year. The school system has since released a statement announcing an investigation into Steele’s future employment.
“Mrs. Steele is an employee of Kelly Services, which is a contracted vendor that provides substitutes for Nash County Public Schools,” the school system said.
“Her eligibility to continue employment will be determined by the outcome of the pending investigation.”
Social media has reacted to the viral video with mixed responses. Some believe the student was wrong for assaulting a teacher, while others believe Steele should have walked away instead of engaging in the violence.
“What is the school’s policy on students having phones while on campus premises? We should start there,” one Twitter user asked.
“The teacher would have done good for herself and just walk away. She was an adult in this!” added someone else.
The fight comes as North Carolina lawmakers consider passing a new bill to enforce stricter penalties for assaults against school staff. Proposed bill HB534 is working its way through legislation and, if passed, would classify certain assaults as felonies for repeat offenders.