Florida sub allegedly ordered beatdown of elementary school student

A substitute teacher in Florida is accused of telling four students to attack a classmate who wouldn’t participate in a class activity.

Geanene White, who was working at YMCA Tiger Academy in Jacksonville, is facing a charge of child abuse and four charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in relation to the Feb. 12 incident, the New York Post reported.

White, 57, allegedly asked “Who in here can beat him up?” and then encouraged four elementary school students to take turns hitting and kicking their classmate, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.  

The boy suffered cuts and bruises on his head, the Miami Herald reported. 

The incident arose after the student allegedly ignored White’s order to begin working in groups. She then called on the four students one by one to attack the boy, the Herald reported. 

Afterward, White allegedly pushed him to the ground, causing him to hit his head on a desk. She then dragged the boy by the collar to school authorities, telling them he needed “behavior assistance,” the arrest affidavit says.  

White has denied that she prompted the assault on the student, claiming instead that he was part of two fights in the classroom, but students, including one of the alleged attackers, told police, “the teacher told him to do it.” 

Both Tiger Academy and Duval County Public Schools claim White was vetted, the Herald reported. 

Child abuse in Florida is a third-degree felony with a penalty of up to five years in prison or probation and a $5,000 fine.