(NewsNation) — A Florida teacher is facing criminal charges for hosting fights in her middle school classroom.
Angel Footman, 23, is accused of allowing pre-planned fights to take place in her classroom, after videos of the fights reportedly made the rounds to parents and school administrators.
In the videos, Footman was seen standing or sitting at her desk, according to the Leon County sheriff’s office.
Footman reportedly told her students they could have “30 seconds, no screaming, no yelling, no phones.”
She doesn’t intervene or call for help and is only heard telling students, “No screaming, nothing” and “Stop pulling hair.”
Footman confirmed the fights happened but denied organizing them. When asked why she didn’t intervene, Footman told authorities the fights happened too fast for her to do anything and couldn’t call for help because the phone in the classroom didn’t work. She later admitted it did.
Some sixth grade students at Griffin Middle School near Tallahassee, Florida, told authorities their teacher asked two girls if they wanted to come back during her sixth period for a re-match.
Footman was booked last week and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 4.