Louisiana substitute teacher accused of offering students money to bully and attack their classmate

A substitute teacher at a Louisiana school is accused of offering students $5 each to bully and attack one of their classmates, police said.

Aadrina Smith, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with five counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and malfeasance in office.

The charges stem from an Aug. 23 incident at North Caddo Elementary Middle School in Vivian, about 32 miles northwest of Shreveport.

Smith, who was a substitute physical education teacher, allegedly offered to pay five students $5 each to tackle their classmate, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook statement. A motive was not disclosed.

Video allegedly showed Smith “verbally communicating” with the students and appearing to congratulate three of them who participated, authorities said.

“The substitute teacher sat on the bleachers while the victim laid on the gym floor and later got up. Smith never helped the victim and did not report the incident,” according to the statement.

It was unclear if Smith had an attorney.

A spokesperson for the Caddo Parish Public Schools said the teacher was fired over the incident and the school’s principal alerted the authorities.

“The Caddo Parish School Board expects employees to conduct themselves professionally and in the interest of students at all times,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Throughout the investigation, the district and school have fully cooperated with law enforcement.”