A former teacher in Indiana is facing allegations of orchestrating a “Fight Club” in which classmates were encouraged to beat up a 7-year-old student with disabilities, with at least one assault being recorded on video. The lawsuit filed against the teacher, school principal, superintendent, and others alleges that the teacher facilitated physical abuse of the student by inciting violence among other students. The teacher reportedly used these acts of violence as discipline, and recordings of the assaults were taken on the teacher’s phone.
The lawsuit states that the student, identified as “O.D.,” began complaining to his mother about being abused and harassed at school during the 2023-24 school year. The teacher, Julious Johnican, was accused of encouraging, instigating, and recording physical abuse of O.D. by other students over a span of three months. The attorney for the student’s family described the teacher as allowing another child to beat the student instead of doing it himself, using it as a disciplinary technique.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has opened an investigation into the allegations in the lawsuit, which includes claims of negligent care and supervision, negligent hiring, retention, and supervision, as well as intentional infliction of serious emotional distress. The school district stated that immediate action was taken upon learning of the allegations, including the suspension and resignation of the teacher in question. The district emphasized that they do not tolerate such behavior and take reports of potential abuse seriously.
The lawsuit alleges that the student was physically assaulted on at least three occasions, including being thrown to the ground and repeatedly hit, slapped, and kicked by other students while Johnican held the child in place. Despite multiple meetings with the teacher to address the student’s complaints, Johnican dismissed them, attributing the issues to the student’s behavioral problems. The mother of the student observed her child being physically abused during a visit to the school and later learned that Johnican had been instigating the attacks.
The distressing content of a video made by Johnican allegedly shows the student on the floor crying while being repeatedly punched in the face and head by another student as the teacher encourages the assault. As a result of the abuse, the child is now homeschooled, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and attends therapy sessions at least once a week. The lawsuit outlines the severe emotional and physical impact the abuse has had on the student, leading to his withdrawal from the school system.
The superintendent and school principal, who were also named in the lawsuit, declined to comment on the allegations. Johnican, who is described as a first-year teacher in the district in the suit, was unreachable for comments. The lawsuit has highlighted the need for better protection and supervision of students in the school system to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. The case has caused outrage in the community and raised concerns about the safety and well-being of students in educational environments.
