Viral classroom fight video leads to Texas teacher's resignation

IRVING, Texas -- A math teacher at a Texas middle school resigned after video of a fight inside his classroom surfaced and went viral, CBS DFW reports.

"I'm livid. I'm so angry. I could not believe that nothing was done to stop this," parent Cyndi Avila told the station.

The 17-second video shot by a student Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Crockett Middle School shows Avila's 12-year-old daughter on her back and appearing to try to shield her head as another student continues to strike her.

"She was just hitting me across the head," the seventh-grader told CBS DFW.

Meanwhile, kids around them chant "fight!"

The 12-year-old says there was a teacher, Ehret Hickerson, present in the classroom. You can just make out a man wearing a badge around his neck in the video, according to CBS DFW.

"The teacher, Mr. Hickerson, moves the chair. So [the other student] can move her down to the floor and she is just beating on my child," Avila said.

Avila says a teacher from across the hall eventually stepped in to break up the fight. In the video, a woman's voice can be heard coming from the doorway, just before the brawl appears to come end.

"She just raised her voice and the fight stopped. There was no teacher that physically touched those two children. At any time [Mr. Hickerson] could have sat there and said 'stop' instead of watching them fight. He did nothing," the mother told the station.

CBS DFW reached Mr. Hickerson by phone but he had no comment.

The district did not discuss how the other student involved in the fight would be disciplined. Cyndi Avila's daughter has been suspended from the school for her role.

The girl's mother says she also will not return after her suspension, according to the station.

Hickerson's resignation was accepted Thursday, CBS DFW reported. Lesley Weaver, director of communications for the Irving Independent School District, issued a statement that read in part, that "the behavior captured on video at Crockett Middle School on Jan. 13 is unacceptable" and that "we expect all employees to maintain a safe learning environment for our students."

The district said that while there is no particular policy detailing when a teacher should step in to break up a fight, they "are expected to maintain order and use effective classroom management strategies to engage students in learning."