Maryland substitute teacher caught on video whipping students with belt

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Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Teacher uses belt to break up classroom fight
A substitute teacher has been pulled from a Washington D.C.-area classroom after he was caught on camera hitting sixth grade students with a belt.

A new video shows a substitute teacher whipping students with what appears to be a leather belt.

The alleged incident took place at Gwynn Park Middle School in Brandywine, Md. on May 15. In the video, a substitute teacher can be trying to break up a fight between sixth-grade students in an English class. The teacher then begins to strike the students.

"I just couldn't imagine a grown man hitting my child," Edward Torrence said.

"I really feel that's wrong," added Iris Wood.

Administrators at the school said the teacher in the video, while not publicly identified, has been removed from the school.

The school said it "does not condone this type of behavior, and it is not representative of the level of professionalism and respectful conduct of the team at the school," according to ABC News.

Corporal punishment is legal in some states in the U.S. but not in Maryland. The substitute teacher has not been charged by police, according to WJLA.