Texas Teacher Punches Student, 12-Year-Old Reginald Wells, After Beaumont Middle Schooler Made Joke About Favorite Football Team, Report Says

A Texas middle school teacher allegedly punched one of his students in the face after the seventh-grader made a joke about his favorite football team.

The incident took place at Willie Ray Smith Middle School in Beaumont, Texas, local television station 12 News reports. Reginald Wells, a 12-year-old student at the school, claims that he was talking to an assistant teacher from his math class when he made a joke about the man’s favorite football team.

"All of a sudden he just hit me, in my shoulder ... and I looked at him like 'what the heck?'" Wells told 12 News. When the seventh-grader attempted to push the teacher away, the man, whose name has not been disclosed, punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

“The left side of my face was numb … my lip hurt … my head was hurt, like it had been shaken,” Wells said. He was reportedly out cold for several seconds.

The offending teacher was reportedly fired on the spot and escorted off the middle school’s campus, CBS Houston reports. However, for Reginald’s mother, Adrianne, the fact that the man was not arrested is unacceptable.

“For you to just let a teacher do that to him and just walk off, he’s fired and walks off, I can’t accept that,” Adrianne Wells told 12 News. She adds that, when confronted by his deed, the teacher said, “I can’t apologize for what I did, I was just having a bad day and I just snapped.”

After the incident, Adrianne Wells filed a police report and claims that she intends to press charges against the teacher. However, the school district hasn’t contacted her since last Friday.

“I’m just not understanding,” she told 12 News. “I know there’s a lot going on with [local police], but first priority is to protect the kids.”

According to 12 News, local Police Chief Clydell Duncan has yet to release a statement regarding the incident.