Caught on Audio: Teacher Launches Profane Rant After Students Laugh in Class

A Tennesee teacher is on unpaid leave as the school district that employees him investigates allegations of verbal abuse towards three students.

High School science teacher Andrew Larson reportedly held three students after class on Friday after they were caught being disruptive and laughing during class. He then went on to threaten and curse out the boys (Nathan Walker, Austin Green and Korey Byard). From WZTV:

Green says he's been in trouble with Larson before and suspected his teacher would use inappropriate language so he hit the record on his cell phone. During the confrontation you hear Larson say, " If you come in here with that ---- --- attitude, I'm going to throw that assignment in the trash. Larson goes on to say, "I'm going to rip you a new @-# *$*@ and the next time you do it, I"m going to give you zeroes until you flunk and I don't care if Mama comes in here. I don't care if Daddy comes in here."

Walker says he was scared: "I think he took it too far as a teacher. Teachers shouldn't yell at you like that ... at all. It was pretty scary ... he used some really bad language. I mean ... something I wouldn't use toward anybody."

But even though on leave, school superintendent Dr. Danny Weeks says he has gotten a flood of calls and e-mails supporting the teacher. The students don't seem so popular either. According to Byard, the students have received threatening messages: "People are just saying when we show up at school tomorrow, that they're going to jump us.. a lot of people are."

Walker's mother says the teacher's actions are disturbing: "The pure rage he had behind those words are what we're really concerned about."