A chemistry teacher at a high school in New Mexico in the United States is reportedly being prosecuted for encouraging dueling by providing swords in the middle of the classroom, resulting in severe permanent injury to a teenage girl.
“I’m in trouble,” said former teacher Loviata Mitchell on May 2, 2022, when one of her students suffered a “large and deep laceration” to her right wrist in the middle of a classroom, alleged a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Albuquerque, according to NBC News.
The grandparents and legal guardians of a 16-year-old girl, Arnold and Judy Gachupin, have turned to the courts to seek justice as the young girl still struggles to press a button on a remote control or zip up a coat, two years after an incident in the middle of a classroom, reported the American media.
According to the suit, the teen was encouraged by her teacher to take part in a katana-style sword fight, which allegedly resulted in a significant laceration to her dominant hand and wrist that ‘does not fit a sword’ prop ‘,” his lawyer, Jessica Hernandez, reportedly indicated.
“Despite surgery, his nerves and tendons remain damaged (…) His wrist and hand are permanently injured. The injuries cause him constant daily pain and prevent him from performing many basic tasks,” the court document reportedly continued.
If the teacher would have rushed, after the fact, to order her students to delete the videos of the duel in question, other images reported by NBC News would show two other teenagers in full combat, under the supervision of the teacher .
The suit also reportedly targets Albuquerque Public Schools and the school’s assistant principal, Manuel Alzaga, who allegedly tried to downplay the incident in a report by saying the girl accidentally injured herself during a “lesson on metal and fusion,” which did not violate school rules.
The teacher was reportedly fired from her position a few months later, according to the American media.
