New York Teacher Fired For Playing Videos Games With Students

A 29-year-old gym teacher from Brooklyn had a unique idea to help boost his students' grades. As it turns out, his motivational methods ended up costing him his job.

Now, the teacher is suing the Department of Education to get his job back.

The NY Post says that Brett Belsky figured he'd connect with his MS 890 students through the hugely popular online video game; Fortnite. The suit contends:

As any great educator would do, Mr. Belsky sought the best ways to motivate and connect with his students. In the Spring of the 2017-2018 school year, Mr. Belsky overheard his students talking about an internationally popular videogame called ‘Fortnite.'”

The Post said that Belsky wrote his Fortnite username on a chalkboard and invited students to play. The Post reports that his "games for grades" tactic backfired when a father of one of the students complained that the adult man was playing games with kids.

Belsky's suit claims an ensuing DOE investigation proved that no misconduct occurred. He also claims in his suit that he was unfairly accused of other infractions. The Post says Belsky is asking for his job back, to renew his teaching license and to erase the allegations from his record.

A DOE spokesperson responded to the Post by saying:

Mr. Belsky was terminated based on his overall performance, including a review of this case.

So, was the teacher simply trying to reach out to students, or is playing video games and/or contacting students online for matters aside from school just plain inappropriate?

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