The teacher, 32-year-old Tiffani Shadell Lankford, can be seen pulling the unidentified student from her desk and then viciously beating her during a Spanish class at Lehman High School in Kyle, Texas. The footage was captured by other students in the classroom. Other students in the video’s frame can be seen recoiling in fear as Lankford hits the student.
— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) November 8, 2019
The victim was hospitalized after the attack. According to her family, she suffers from seizures and required treatment for multiple, severe injuries following the assault. It is unclear what caused Lankford to attack the student.
However, Lankford was fired immediately after students in the classroom alerted school employees to the incident. The school has also reported the incident to the Texas Education Agency.
“This afternoon, we fired one of our guest teachers for hitting and fighting with a student. Under no circumstance is that behavior tolerated at Lehman High School or in Hays CISD [Consolidated Independent School District],” Principal Karen Zuniga wrote in a Friday Facebook post, calling the incident “disconcerting.”
“We take the safety and security of our students seriously. We took swift action when this incident occurred and will do everything necessary to protect our students.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also weighed in regarding the assault.
“Conduct like this won’t be tolerated in Texas classrooms,” the governor said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “The substitute teacher who committed this heinous act has been arrested and will face serious legal consequences.”
