Caught on camera: Texas teacher slams student onto table, shoves him against wall

The teacher was put on leave for 'unacceptable' behavior, but parents say they want him charged.

ByNick Natario KTRK logo
Saturday, January 14, 2023
Humble ISD puts teacher on leave for 'unacceptable' behavior but parents want him charged
The nearly 30-second clip alleged shows the teacher slamming the tenth-grade student onto a table and then shoving him against a wall.

HUMBLE, Texas -- A Texas teacher is on leave after a video shows him physically attacking a student, but the teen's family said the district hasn't gone far enough.

The images of what happened inside a Humble High School classroom can't escape a student's father. The nearly 30-second clip shows a Humble ISD teacher slamming a student onto a table and then shoving him against a wall.

"I don't want this teacher to be able to teach nowhere in this state, or in this country for that matter," parent Elvert Bolden said. "To be able to go somewhere and be able to have that opportunity to do this ever again."

Bolden said his 10th-grade student was attacked Wednesday by a teacher. The district put the educator on leave.

That didn't sit well with the family, as they stood outside the campus with advocates demanding more. "If he would've struck that teacher like he should've or needed to do in being in a situation like that after being slung across the room, they would've had him in handcuffs," Bolden said.

"This teacher was out of control," New Black Panther Nation Chairman Quanell X said. "In fact, his behavior reminds you of teachers gone wild."

SEE ALSO | Caught on camera: Border Patrol agent slams migrant on ground outside shelter

We don't know much about the educator involved. Here's what the district told our sister station, ABC13:

"This should not have happened. It is unacceptable. The teacher has been put on leave. An investigation is underway, and it is unlikely he will be returning when the investigation concludes. On January 11, 2023, the teacher was helping out in another classroom when he used physical force to try to get a student to take a seat and listen. These actions are unacceptable and contrary to standards and expectations for all employees. The district has a process for addressing serious concerns, which includes reporting to law enforcement and full cooperation with any law enforcement investigation. Humble ISD Police are investigating."

The family said the response isn't enough and is a reason for them to continue bringing more attention to the matter until more is done.

"We're not just flapping our lips and saying nothing like James Brown said. We're going after him with legal actions," the student's grandfather, James Bolden, said. As far as the student, his father says he's too emotionally shaken to share publicly what happened or return to class.

"We're just waiting on my son to feel comfortable with coming back. We don't know if he's going to stay at the school or if he's going to go somewhere else," Bolden said. "That's up in the air right now."

It's an incident the district says is unacceptable, and now a family waits to find out what that teacher's fate will be.

For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.