Visalia teacher arrested after cutting student’s hair while singing national anthem

A Visalia teacher was arrested stemming from an Instagram video in which she cuts a student’s hair.

Margaret Gieszinger, 52, a teacher at University Preparatory High School, was booked Wednesday on suspicion of felony child endangerment and her bail set at $100,000, according to The Visalia Times Delta.

Messages left with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office were not returned Wednesday evening. College of the Sequoias police, the arresting agency, also did not return calls.

The Times Delta reported that videos posted on social media show a student sitting in a chair at the front of the classroom when the teacher cuts his hair then tosses it behind her – all while loudly singing the “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Gieszinger allegedly then cuts more hair from the student after he tries to move away from her. She also motioned toward another student with the scissors as the kids try to distance themselves from her.

The Visalia newspaper reported that Gieszinger’s credential was suspended in 2007 and 2016, according to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

This story was originally published December 5, 2018 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Visalia teacher arrested after cutting student’s hair while singing national anthem."