Missouri Middle School Teacher Suspended After Video Captures Her Fighting With Student

A middle school teacher in Missouri has been suspended after a video of her having a wild fight with a student inside a classroom went viral.

The fight broke out at Westview Middle School, under the Riverview Gardens School District, on Monday. Authorities found the video, which surfaced on Facebook, "deeply disturbing," The Kansas City-Star reported.

The identities of the teacher and the student were not revealed.

It was not clear what led to the brawl. The now-deleted video reportedly showed the teacher throwing multiple punches at the student who then grabbed her hair. Both of them pulled each other to the ground during the physical altercation. Other students were also present inside the classroom when the fight happened.

"This is shocking," Karen Cummings, a school community member, told Viperrocks. "I'm like, what led up to them having an altercation, and why wasn't anybody in the room once they started hearing the commotion. Kids are supposed to go to school to learn. Not go to school and not have teachers put hands on them."

The teacher was reportedly suspended after the video surfaced online. It was not clear if the student would also face disciplinary actions in connection with the incident.

"Riverview Gardens School District does not condone violence and takes violent behavior seriously. An investigation into this incident has been initiated in accordance with district policy and procedures," the school district said in a statement to parents. "We ask the RGSD community for patience as we conduct a complete and thorough investigation into this matter."

The school district has also invited community members to attend a meeting on Dec. 13 to discuss school safety, according to the Kansas City-Star.

"RGSD is committed to working in partnership with community and district stakeholders to ensure a safe learning environment to educating scholars in the Riverview Gardens community," it said in the statement.