LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A former Jefferson County Public Schools teacher who was fired after being caught on cell phone video fighting a student at Moore High School is running for Kentucky state representative.
William Bennett was fired from JCPS on Dec. 16 for “insubordination, conduct unbecoming of a teacher, inefficiency, incompetency, and neglect of duty,” according to the termination letter.
Bennett is now running for the state representative seat in Hardin County’s District 25 as a republican.
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He filed on Jan. 25, the last day to sign up, as “Bill” Bennett rather than William, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website. His address records confirm his identity.
Bennett was reassigned by JCPS pending an investigation after a video surfaced on social media on Aug. 23 showing him pinning a student on the ground and gripping his hair as two other students tried to pull him off.
A JCPS spokesperson confirmed that Moore High School security footage had been reviewed, stating that the student started the fight and punched Bennett in the back of the head before turning to walk away. Bennett then turned around and yanked the student, throwing him to the ground and pinning his entire body on top of him, all while pulling the student’s hair.
Bennett told investigators that he tried to leave the situation by walking into the counselor’s office, despite the fact that video footage showed him walking at least 10 feet past the office’s entrance and toward the library, allowing him to reengage and hit the student in the abdomen.
WAVE Troubleshooters investigated Bennett’s history and found a series of documented complaints by students and administrators from each of the four previous school districts where he worked. Among the complaints and disciplinary documents are allegations that he grabbed a student’s arm and didn’t let go, made sexual jokes, and made a series of “inappropriate comments.” He was also accused of interfering with that investigation.
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