A disgraced elementary school teacher who orchestrated and encouraged children to attack one another in a deplorable classroom 'fight club' has been sentenced to a meagre two years in prison after pleading guilty.
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who → orchestrate → prison
Julious Johnican, 25, was sentenced on September 24 to two years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with credit for one day already served.
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Johnican → sentence → day
Johnican pleaded guilty on August 4 following an investigation into disturbing allegations at George Washington Carver Montessori Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) School 87 in Indianapolis.
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Johnican → plead → Indianapolis
The case centers on cellphone footage that allegedly captured a seven-year-old boy being attacked by another student while Johnican stood by and encouraged the assault.
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Johnican → center → assault
The boy’s attorneys say the disturbing footage was discovered by accident during a parent-teacher conference, when Johnican allegedly attempted to show the child’s parents a different video from inside his classroom.
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Johnican → say → classroom
Instead, according to a lawsuit filed by the family, he inadvertently began playing footage showing the young boy being repeatedly hit by another student.
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boy → accord → student
As the boy cried, the attacking child could allegedly be heard saying, 'don’t mess with me,' while Johnican allegedly remained nearby.
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Johnican → cry → me
Near the end of the recording, the seven-year-old could reportedly be heard crying, 'I didn’t mess with him,' Johnican instigated the beating further before he finally told the children to return to their spots.
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he → hear → spots
Former teacher Julious Johnican learned his fate Thursday, after admitting his role in orchestrating a fight club and subsequently recording a fight involving students with disabilities
The family of a special needs student accused Johnican of using his phone to record an attack on that student by another classmate.
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family → learn → classmate
Johnican’s voice could be heard in the video encouraging the beating
Tammy Meyer, an attorney representing the boy’s family, said the recording was particularly disturbing because of what Johnican could allegedly be heard saying during the attack.
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Johnican → hear → attack
'Are you done yet?' Meyer said, describing the teacher’s alleged words on the recording.
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Meyer → do → recording
'It’s shocking.'
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It → ’ → ?
The family’s attorneys allege that what happened on the video was not an isolated incident.
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happened → allege → video
According to the civil lawsuit, Johnican allegedly orchestrated what attorneys described as a 'fight club-type of discipline' in his classroom over a period of roughly three months, encouraging or allowing students to physically attack the seven-year-old.
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students → accord → old
The lawsuit alleges that on two other occasions, Johnican held the boy down while other students punched, kicked and hit him.
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students → allege → him
'It appears that this was being used as a disciplinary technique in his classroom,' attorney Catherine Michael said.
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Michael → appear → classroom
'Instead of beating a child senselessly himself, at least according to what we have, he was allowing another child to do it.'
The boy, who was in second grade, has disabilities including sensory sensitivities, an executive-function disorder and probable learning disabilities, according to the lawsuit.
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who → beat → lawsuit
His mother allegedly began noticing that he was frequently coming home from school upset and unhappy and the boy repeatedly told his mother that he was being abused, bullied and harassed during class.
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he → begin → class
Johnican was sentenced in Marion County Superior Court on September 24 after pleading guilty as part of a plea agreement
His mother reportedly raised her concerns with school staff and met with Johnican on multiple occasions.
According to the lawsuit, however, the teacher allegedly dismissed the child’s claims as behavioral problems and suggested that he was lying or mentally ill.
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he → sentence → problems
The allegations eventually prompted a criminal investigation as well as a civil lawsuit against IPS and several school employees.
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allegations → prompt → IPS
Johnican was arrested on May 31 and appeared in court for his initial hearing on June 4.
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Johnican → arrest → June
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the former teacher had violated the trust placed in him by parents and students.
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teacher → say → parents
'Schools are supposed to be safe spaces where children can learn, grow and feel protected,' Mears said in a September 24 statement.
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Mears → suppose → statement
'The defendant abused the trust placed in him as an educator and subjected vulnerable children to the unthinkable.
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defendant → abuse → unthinkable
Today’s sentence holds him accountable for that betrayal of trust and the harm he caused.
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he → hold → trust
Meyer, however, said she was left concerned by Johnican’s apparent reaction to the proceedings.
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she → say → proceedings
'I don’t think, from the impression I got today, that he understands the gravity,' she said.
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she → think → gravity
'He should by now, but I don’t think he does.'
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he → think → ?
Court documents also reveal that investigators were given an alternative explanation for the cellphone recording.
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investigators → reveal → recording
The paralegal claimed the seven-year-old had a history of behavioral problems, including hitting other children and knocking items from their desks.
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old → claim → desks
Previous reports indicated that Johnican was an emergency permitted teacher hired during the COVID-19 pandemic and was not fully certified
According to the account provided to detectives, Johnican recorded the incident so he could show the boy’s parents what he claimed their son was doing to other students.
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son → indicate → students
The family’s attorneys strongly dispute that explanation.
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attorneys → dispute → explanation
Meyer questioned why investigators relied on information from a paralegal rather than speaking with school officials who were directly involved with the child.
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who → question → child
'The detective talked with a paralegal who is not involved with this child or their family whatsoever,' Meyer said.
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Meyer → talk → child
'Why in the world would you talk to a paralegal instead of the principal who has been removed, the vice principal, the teacher?
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who → talk → paralegal
Detectives also interviewed the boy, who told investigators that there had been multiple incidents in which Johnican encouraged other students to hit him.
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Johnican → interview → him
'The fact that charges have finally been filed is a huge relief to this family,' Michael said.
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Michael → file → family
'But when we look at the probable cause affidavit, you can see that teachers aren’t being interviewed, child witnesses aren’t being interviewed, other families aren’t being interviewed.
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families → look → affidavit
That’s what needs to happen to get a full picture of what was happening in this classroom.'
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what → ’ → classroom
One of the family’s biggest remaining questions is what happened to the cellphone that allegedly captured the attack.
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that → remain → attack
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
