(Video courtesy of Andrew Abelkis)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas substitute teacher was asked to cut his work day short after he was recorded by students singing on a karaoke machine. Video shows the teacher belting out Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” accompanied by an amateur light show at the front of a class at Bowie High School Friday.
An Austin Independent School District representative said the teacher was asked to leave after the first period because he “wasn’t following [the district’s] best practices.”
Contrary to rumors the singer was a prankster posing as a teacher, the district said the man was in fact a registered substitute and was placed on campus to cover a class. The district confirmed the teacher was the one who brought the karaoke machine to the class.
The teacher was not arrested, AISD said.
“I’ve heard worse Britney Spears covers, but the lights are a bit much,” said an AISD spokesperson.
AISD said the teacher didn’t have a formal AISD badge but was checked in through the front office through the visitor system, and that includes a background check.
“All processes were followed, it was simply a case of a substitute not following our practices,” the district said.
The substitute teacher picked up another job at another Austin high school after the karaoke incident and “was relieved of his duty,” the district said.
Nexstar’s KXAN reached out to the substitute teacher for an explanation, but hasn’t heard back.
