A teacher is facing intense criticism for not stopping a student from being brutally beaten after a viral video shows him with a cup of coffee during the fight. The violent altercation occurred at Harwood Junior High in Bedford, Texas, but the date of the incident is unclear. A video of the incident was shared on X on Friday and has since garnered over 183,000 viewers online, with some commenters calling for the teacher to be fired.
The footage, which was seemingly recorded by a student, shows a fight between two male junior high students, according to the Daily Loud. One student can be seen pinned to the ground as his adversary repeatedly punches him in the face and head.
A group of screaming students surrounds fighting students, adding to the chaotic scene. Amid the turmoil, a teacher is seen attempting to intervene. However, his reaction is delayed as he casually approaches while still holding a cup of coffee. In a seemingly half-hearted attempt to break up the fight, he uses one arm to try to lift the student off of the other.
As the student continues to pummel the other schoolboy, several other students quickly intervene. They swarm the aggressor, pulling him away from the victim. As the video concludes, the schoolboy remains on the ground, visibly in pain.
The teacher’s reaction has drawn severe criticism online, with many arguing that his failure to drop the coffee and immediately stop the fight reflects poorly on his responsibility to protect the students.
In response to the social media post, one viewer remarked, “Kid gets brutally beaten at Harwood Junior High, and the teacher’s just chilling with his coffee—wild!” Others question why no one stepped in sooner to defuse the situation. A few users even debated the underlying cause of the fight, with some suggesting that long-standing bullying may have played a role.
One post read, “Not a teacher’s job to get involved?” while another sarcastically added, “Coffee over a student is wild, fam.” Some commenters were particularly critical of the teacher’s inaction, with one remarking, “Coffee over a student is wild, fam.”
