Louisiana substitute teacher arrested for allegedly offering students $5 to bully classmate

Makenzie Boucher, Shreveport Times
·2 min read
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SHREVEPORT, La. — A Louisiana substitute teacher has been arrested for allegedly encouraging students to bully another classmate and commit battery, police said.

Aadrina Smith, 24, allegedly offered to pay five different students $5 each to tackle their classmate on Aug. 23, while working as a physical education substitute at North Caddo Elementary-Middle School in Vivian, Louisiana.

Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office was able to locate video of the incident that showed Smith verbally communicating with the students and appeared to congratulate three who participated in the battery.

Smith sat on the bleachers while the victim lay on the gym floor, she never asked the victim if they needed help and did not report the incident, police said.

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In a statement sent to the Shreveport Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Tuesday, Caddo Parish Schools said the school district "immediately removed (Smith) from her duties" following the incident and that the principal of the school reported to law enforcement.

"The Caddo Parish School Board expects employees to conduct themselves professionally and in the interest of students at all times," the district said, adding that they have "fully cooperated" with law enforcement.

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On Monday, Smith was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on fives counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and malfeasance in office.

This incident is under investigation and more arrests are pending, the sheriff's office said Monday in a Facebook statement.

Contributing: Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: LA teacher arrested for allegedly offering students money to bully