‘Appalling’ footage from Louisiana preschool ‘fight club’ shows teachers laughing while 4-year-old is pummeled

Shocking footage showed two Louisiana preschool teachers laughing while they allowed students to beat up a classmate during an appalling fight.

Devastated mother Olevia Robinson told WAFB her four-year-old son was being pummeled at Riveroaks Elementary School in January in the fight club-style videos.

The mom said the teachers claimed her son was having behavioral problems, but was then sent the disturbing videos before a parent-teacher meeting.

One clip showed a teacher yelling at a student to stop punching Robinson’s son while the teacher who recorded it is laughing.

In another video, Robinson’s son was filmed being hit while a teacher records it. When another student tried to break up the fight, the teacher said, ‘That ain’t got nothing to do with you.’

Robinson said she planned a parent-teacher meeting because her son was suspended for kicking another student, but after she saw the videos, she went to the principal.  

‘I believed the teachers saying my son just wants to get out of a punishment, but the whole time that wasn’t the case,’ said Robinson.

‘The teachers told her that they were trying to record his behavior in the classroom, but that video didn’t show anything about my son’s behavior. It showed children that was hitting on him.’

Robinson said the videos were recorded weeks before she was shown them and the teachers never mentioned them.

‘They brought that video to [the principal’s] attention today because they found out I had the video. That video was taken January 13th at 11:50. The other video 11:51. So if it was something that y’all wanted to show me, it would have been shown,’ she said.

‘He may have not been physically hurt, seriously hurt, but mentally he was hurt. Emotionally, he was hurt. His trust was hurt. He can’t trust anyone at the school.’ 

East Baton Rouge Public Schools Superintendent LaMont Cole said the teachers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. 

‘To view that behavior by the adults in the classroom is beyond appalling, it’s beyond disappointing, and it’s downright disgusting,’ Cole said.

‘I do want to say to the families, don’t let the two employees who made bad decisions not be a reflection of all of the other employees who come and do it right every single day.’

Concerned parents from the Riveroaks Elementary School community told WBRZ they were not surprised by the incident and claim bullying and fights are rampant at the school.

‘This happens all the time. My granddaughter was picked on last year because she’s very small and she wears glasses. And it’s like they stand there and watch them,’ a grandparent said. 

‘I told my daughter, I said I need her transferred. I’m sick of it, I need her transferred. Because next year it may be something different.’

A parent said, ‘My son has come home and told me multiple stories about how he has tried to stop fights on the playground and the teacher’s stand there and don’t do anything about it.

‘It’s multiple grades and they would bully and start fights on the little kids. He has said that he’s gotten pushed down before trying to step up and stand up for another kid in his grade. So I’m not surprised.’