A substitute teacher in Las Vegas, Re’Kwon Smith, was caught on video brawling with a student at Valley High School after an argument over a reported racial slur escalated. The altercation turned physical when the student placed his hands on Smith, leading to both of them throwing punches at each other in a crowded hallway in front of other students. Smith was seen knocking down the student multiple times and standing over him, appearing to yell at him while the student cowered behind his hands. The incident was captured on video and shared on various news outlets.
After knocking down the student, Smith continued to land more punches until a campus safety monitor and other students helped the student up from the ground. The student was heard laughing and shouting at Smith as he was being escorted away, while other students who witnessed the incident expressed shock over what they had seen. Valley High School Principal Kimberly Perry-Carter sent a message to parents informing them of the altercation and stating that the CCSDPD was investigating the matter.
Smith faced several charges related to the fight, including battery resulting in serious bodily harm, assault of a school pupil on school property, interfering with a student from attending school, and threatening to do bodily harm to a public school student. He was held at the Clark County Detention Center with a bail set at $9,000, and his next court appearance was scheduled for the following day. The student involved in the incident was also arrested on unspecified charges.
The Clark County School District took immediate action to remove Smith from the substitute teacher pool and made him ineligible to work within the district following the altercation. The CCSD Police Department is also using the video of the incident as evidence in their investigation. This incident is not isolated, as there have been several cases of violence between students and teachers in classrooms across the country in recent months, highlighting the issue of violence in educational settings. Earlier in the month, a high school student in North Carolina was charged with assault after slapping their teacher multiple times during a profanity-laced rant at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem.
Violence in any form is unacceptable in educational settings, and any altercation between a teacher and a student is thoroughly investigated by school authorities. The school district emphasized the importance of education and respect, stating that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken in such cases. The video evidence of the incident will be used to ensure a fair investigation is conducted. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a safe and respectful environment in schools and addressing issues of violence promptly and effectively.
