Florida gym teacher who allegedly encouraged student fight has been fired, school board says

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MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Brevard County school board voted to terminate a physical education (PE) teacher during a meeting on Tuesday night after he allegedly encouraged two students to fight in a boy's locker room during gym class last year.

The termination of Paul Eller's employment was effective immediately on Wednesday.

On April 21, 2023, two students of Lyndon B Johnson Middle School were captured on video fighting one another, according to the Melbourne Police Department.

In the video, a group of students – along with Eller – were seen watching the fight, police said.

One student received a minor injury, which caused the fight to temporarily stop. However, police said there was then a singular voice – allegedly Eller's – that "could be heard making a noise to encourage the participants to begin fighting again."

The students began fighting, and a third student joined in, which is when Eller took action to stop the fighting, police said.

Police recommended three charges to the State Attorney's Office against Eller: child neglect, culpable negligence, and disruption of a school function. It will be up to them whether or pursue charges or not.

Eller had been placed on administrative leave since the incident, pending both police and an internal school district investigation.