A substitute teacher in Duval County has been arrested and charged with felony child neglect after reportedly encouraging two students to engage in a physical altercation during school hours. Ladejah Shaw, 29, who was temporarily filling in at a local middle school, is accused of inciting the fight that took place in October, according to an announcement made by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's social media post, Shaw was supervising her class outdoors when students encircled two of their peers, many recording the events on their phones. Disturbingly, the videos captured Shaw urging the students to start the fight. Duval County School Police conducted a review of the cellular footage and interviews with students, which confirmed that Shaw willfully allowed the conflict to proceed.
Authorities responded to Shaw’s residence last night, where she was taken into custody. In the social media announcement detailing the incident, the Sheriff's Office underscored the expectation that educators should protect and lead students, not endanger them. The statement reads, "Teachers are called to lead the next generation, not put them in harms way."
