In an interview, the teacher admitted he was “out of character” that day. He didn’t deny anything that was on camera. He simply said, “I was upset.”
TYLER, Texas — A former Tyler ISD substitute teacher accused of shoving a student with disabilities, throwing them onto the floor, and restraining them multiple times in a classroom was arrested last week.
Joacim Castro-Lacayo, 28, was arrested on a charge of injury to a child or disabled person on Thursday, April 9. He remains in jail on a $500,000 bond.
A video dated April 1 shows an altercation between Lacayo, a long-term substitute teacher in a special education classroom at Moore Middle School, and a 12-year-old student. The incident began when Lacayo became upset after the student walked over to the window and began tapping on the windowsill, according to the arrest affidavit.
After repeatedly telling the student to stop or sit down, Lacayo grabbed the student’s right wrist and turned their body to face the classroom. He placed his hand on the back of the student’s arm and attempted to move them away from the window. The student leaned back and resisted, the affidavit stated.
Lacayo returned to his desk, and the student went back to the window and tapped on it again. The two exchanged words, and Lacayo approached the student, who walked away, pushed a chair, and knocked a pen off a desk, according to the document.
Lacayo continued to follow the student. He then placed one hand around the front of the student’s neck and his right arm around their shoulders. He threw the student to the ground, landing on top of them with his knee on the student’s abdomen, the affidavit said.
The student rolled onto their back, and Lacayo straddled them, holding their wrists and hands. He was seen crossing the student’s arms over their body and applying his body weight, the affidavit continued.
The video recorded the student crying. One of the two other staff members was seen holding the student’s ankles, according to the affidavit.
Lacayo said, “I told you to stop. Today is not the day. Tell this to your mama, to your daddy, to whoever you want.” He then shoved the student’s arms into their body and yelled, “Do you understand?” the document stated.
The student could be heard crying, whining, and seen trying to get away from Lacayo. One of the staff members commented that the student had spit on Lacayo, who continued restraining the student, saying, “Spit one more time.”
The student begged them to stop and said they couldn’t breathe. Lacayo responded, “If you’re talking, you can breathe.” All three adults stood over the student. When the student tried to get up, one of the workers said, “Oh no, you’re gonna lay down here.” All three then rolled the student onto their stomach.
The student kept trying to get up and away but was restrained and screamed in pain. They spit on one of the workers, who then let go of their ankles. The student tried to escape, but Lacayo shoved them to the floor again. When the student said they couldn’t breathe, Lacayo repeatedly responded, “I don’t care,” the document said.
One of the workers tried to restrain the student by placing a chair on top of their legs, and the student could be heard saying “ow.” The student eventually broke free and moved toward the classroom door. Lacayo, watching closely, unprovoked, shoved the student into the wall. He then grabbed the student by the neck and wrists again.
“Girl, you about to make me look like I’m in the streets, girl!” Lacayo shouted. The student repeatedly yelled, “Get off me,” and Lacayo responded, “You get off me,” according to the affidavit.
The student continued trying to escape, but Lacayo dropped to one knee and placed his body weight on them. Their cries became muffled as they were pressed to the floor, the affidavit stated.
When the student broke free again, they attempted to put distance between themselves and Lacayo, but he continued following them.
One of the staff claimed the student had a pencil and was trying to stab Lacayo, but the video showed no such movement. The student said they were just trying to do their work. Lacayo took the pencil from the student, who then struck him with their school ID and lanyard, according to police.
After that, Lacayo tackled the student to the ground in a manner described as similar to a football tackle, the affidavit said.
The student was heard crying, coughing, and saying “ow.” They said they were going to tell their father, and Lacayo encouraged them to tell everyone what had happened, according to police.
Lacayo also said that if he had really hit them, their eyes would have been red and purple. He punched his desk a few times and said that’s how he would have hit them in the eyes. He told the student not to “lie on his name,” the affidavit stated.
In an interview, Lacayo admitted he was “out of character” that day. He did not deny anything seen in the video. “I was upset,” he said.
Tyler ISD confirmed Monday that all three people, including Lacayo, mentioned in the document are no longer employed at the district. Jail records show that the two other people in the affidavit have not been arrested.
Tyler ISD released the following statement regarding the arrest:
“We are aware that a former substitute teacher has been arrested following an investigation into allegations related to the mistreatment of a student with disabilities. The former part-time employee had been trained in restraint protocols specific to special education settings and had been appropriately vetted for employment as are all personnel hired to work in school settings.
The behavior described in these allegations is appalling and runs counter to everything we stand for as a school district. As soon as the allegations were brought forward, we immediately initiated an internal review, contacted Child Protective Services, and ensured full coordination with law enforcement and are committed to ensuring justice is served.
Let us be clear: anyone who violates the safety and dignity of our students—especially our most vulnerable learners—will be held fully accountable. We will not tolerate actions that betray the trust placed upon our schools.
It is an important reminder for our staff and acknowledgement to our community to understand that the use of video cameras in special education classrooms is not mandated by state law, but it is permissible. The Superintendent of Schools, with the full authority of the Board-approved budget, along with State of Texas safety and security grant funding, implemented the district-wide deployment of classroom monitoring cameras in designated special education classrooms as an additional safeguard—because protecting our most vulnerable students is not just a legal obligation, but a moral one.
While privacy laws limit what we can share, we remain committed to transparency, to the integrity of the investigative process, and—most importantly—to the well-being of every child in our care. We will continue to work relentlessly to ensure our campuses are places where all students are safe, respected, and protected.”