Middle School Teacher Patrick Kocsis Charged with Child Neglect for Taking Two Boys Out of Class to Fight

Middle School teacher Patrick Kocsis charged with two counts of misdemeanor child neglect for taking two boys out of class at McMillan Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Neb., to fight.

Patrick Kocsis, an eighth grade teacher at McMillan Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Neb., was cited for child neglect, after allegedly taking two boys out of class to fight. Kocsis has also been removed by the Omaha Public Schools pending the results of an internal investigation.

Felisa Evans received a phone call from her son’s school Monday morning.“I was only told there was an incident that happened at school with Micah involving a fight,” said Evans. Micah, who was suspended from school, told his mom a story she thought was unbelievable at first. “I'm at work and I'm in shock,” said Evans. “My child just told me the teacher told him to do this.” Evans said she got a call several hours later from an Omaha police detective, confirming her son’s story.

According to a police report, two students were taken outside by a McMillan teacher and allowed to physically fight. Evans told KETV what her son said happened. “[The teacher] took them on the west side of the building, right outside the door and told them to ‘slap it out.' I just couldn't believe this happened to my child, couldn't believe it happened at OPS, couldn't believe it happened anywhere at all,” said Evans Police cited Kocsis, 39, with two counts of misdemeanor child neglect. Source: KETV

Clearly Patrick Kocsis was wrong for handling the conflict this way, but what really drove him to do this? He was the adult in the classroom, not the two boys. If they were misbehaving, then he should have sent them both to the principal's office for further discipline or even called their parent(s), not taken out in the school yard to fight like thugs. Where was the principal or assistant principal when all this was happening?