Teacher accused of forcibly cutting student's hair while singing 'Star Spangled Banner' charged

Friday, December 7, 2018
VISALIA, California -- A high school teacher has been charged with six misdemeanors after forcibly cutting a student's hair in class.

Video surfaced Wednesday showing 52-year-old Margaret Gieszinger chasing students with scissors between desks, all while belting out the "Star Spangled Banner" at University Preparatory High School.
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The video continues to show Gieszinger grabbing at another girl's hair before everyone makes a run for it out of the classroom.

RELATED: Teacher arrested for forcibly cutting kid's hair in class

On Friday, Gieszinger was charged with two counts of battery, two counts of willful cruelty to a child, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of assault.

Days before the strange episode in Gieszinger's classroom, students said the science teacher was already showing signs of odd behavior.
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On Thursday, the Tulare County Office of Education released a statement saying that Gieszinger will not return to her classroom, where she has worked since August.



Geiszinger is being held at the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility on $100,000 bail.

If convicted on all charges, Gieszinger faces more than three years in jail.
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