Teacher arrested for forcibly cutting kid's hair in class while singing 'Star Spangled Banner'

Thursday, December 6, 2018
VISALIA, Calif. -- A Visalia high school teacher is in jail after forcibly cutting a student's hair in class. Video surfaced Wednesday showing 52-year-old Margaret Gieszinger chasing students with scissors between desks while belting out the "Star Spangled Banner" at University Preparatory High School.

It was first period inside Gieszinger's chemistry class and a bizarre chain of events is about to take off. Students say the teacher came into class with a pair of scissors declaring it was hair cut day.

"We think she's going to try to be funny and be like 'Oh did you really think I was going to cut his hair?' But she did cut a hair off, and she started singing the Star Spangled Banner and she was singing it really loudly as she ceremoniously tossed a chunk of hair behind her," said a student who wanted to remain anonymous.

The student says he was sitting in the back of the classroom and ran to the main office for help.

"I hope I never have to see her at the school again, because I know for a fact I can never see her as a respectable authority figure in my life."

The video continues to show Gieszinger grabbing at another girl's hair before everyone makes a run for it out of the classroom. Students claim they don't know what triggered her behavior but say she had a similar breakdown earlier this week.

"I know that on Monday she had another freak out because a test was missing or something. She accused the students of taking the test."

College of the Sequoias Police have since arrested Gieszinger on suspicion of corporal injury to a child. Her bail is set at $100,000.
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