Teacher charged with assault after ‘punching, kicking and stomping on 17-year-old student’

A Maryland high school teacher has been arrested on counts of assault and child abuse after a shocking cellphone video emerged showing the educator punching and kicking a 17-year-old student in her classroom.

Vivian Noirie, 36, a teacher at Largo High School in Prince George’s County, was taken into custody on Friday and booked into a jail on charges of physical child abuse and second-degree assault. 

Prince George’s County police said in a news release they also are seeking unspecified charges against the student involved in the classroom fracas in juvenile court.

Police Chief Hank Stawinski said about 30 students were in the classroom when Noirie fought with the female student at around 10.25am.

The video documenting the brutal altercation begins with Noirie, dressed in a grey shirt, talking to a female student in a silver jacket.    

The fracas took place during Spanish class and was videotaped by one of the students  

Police Chief Hank Stawinski (pictured) described the video of the fight as ‘very, very disturbing’ and ‘extraordinarily violent’

Investigators believe the student was upset with Noirie for contacting her parents the night before. 

In the footage, the student steps on the teacher’s foot and bumps her with a shoulder, prompting Noirie to repeatedly punch and kick the 17-year-old girl, then stomp on her as she lies on the floor.  

After school employees arrived and separated Noirie and the student, the teen grabbed the teacher from behind and repeatedly struck her, police said.

Stawinski described the video of the fight as ‘very, very disturbing’ and said the alleged assault on the student was ‘extraordinarily violent.’ The video spread on social media after the incident.

Martin Bentu, a 15-year-old sophomore who recorded the video of the fight, told WUSA9 the incident took place in Spanish class as he and he classmates were taking a test.

Bentu said the girl in the silver jacket repeatedly approached his teacher, Noirie, asking her to change her grade.

‘She [the teacher] had told the student, “Please, can you back up, please,” and the student was like, “No. I’m trying to talk to you about my grade,”’ he said.

As the situation escalated, Bentu took out his phone and began recording.

‘She nudged the teacher, and the teacher immediately swung, and then they went at it,’ Bentu said.

Police said neither the student nor the teacher required medical attention after the brawl.

Texas substitute teacher Tiffani Lankford (pictured) was charged with aggravated assault after a video emerged a week ago showing him punching a student 

‘I am extremely disappointed by the horrific actions that took place in our classroom today,’ Monica Goldson, CEO of the county’s school district, said at a press conference. 

Goldson said Noirie was hired to teach at Largo High School in November 2018.

‘Everything about this particular incident was completely unacceptable,’ said County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. ‘Aanyone who views this video will agree that it makes you feel absolutely irate to see what transpired into this classroom.’ 

The incident in Maryland comes a week after Texas substitute teacher Tiffani Lankford was arrested and charged with aggravated assault under similar circumstances. 

In that case, Lankford was caught on cellphone video punching and stomping on a 15-year-old sophomore with special needs in a classroom at Lehman High School in Kyle, Texas.