Student, substitute teacher brawl at Miami Central Senior High School

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Video posted on Instagram shows a brawl between a student and substitute teacher at Miami Central Senior High School.

The video, recorded by another student, was posted Monday and quickly went viral.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego said the incident involved a substitute teacher and student who was not supposed to be in that class.

The video shows the student appear to charge at the substitute teacher. At one point in the video, the teacher puts the student in a headlock before they both fall to the floor.

Student Nicholas Aguilar said he was in a classroom next door taking a test when heard the commotion.

“All I heard was the screaming and everybody ran out of the classroom and everybody started recording on the phone,” he said.

Students identified the teacher to Local 10 News as Mrs. Ferguson. They said she fills in for various classes and has always been pleasant.

“When I met her, she was a good person with good intentions,” student Anthony Pacheco said.

“She’s a lovable person. For you to put your hands on her, that’s not right,” another student, Sabrina Wilson, said.

Students said their peer involved in the fight is in 10th grade.

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools does not tolerate incidents that jeopardize the safety and well-being of students and staff members,” Gonzalez-Diego said in a statement. “We are deeply troubled by the behavior exhibited on this video. As part of their investigation, Miami-Dade schools police will be reviewing various video sources and interviewing witnesses to determine the circumstances behind this unfortunate event. Disciplinary action is forthcoming.”

Gonzalez-Diego later released an updated statement, saying “all indicators point to the student having been the aggressor.”

“It is evident the employee used great restraint in her attempts to de-escalate the situation,” she said. “As a result of her unacceptable behavior, the student will be disciplined according to the Code of Student conduct and may be facing criminal charges.”