Texas teacher arrested after video shows her repeatedly hitting student

Mary Hastings has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Mary Hastings has been placed on paid administrative leave. (@khay2you/Twitter)

A Texas high school teacher has been arrested for repeatedly hitting a student in the head.

Mary Hastings, a teacher at Ozen High School in Beaumont, was arrested on Friday after cellphone video of the incident surfaced on Twitter. The footage shows Hastings striking the student five times and mocking him, calling him an "idiot ass."

Hastings was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault, FOX 4 Beaumont reports. She was taken to the Jefferson County Jail and released after posting a $2,500 bond.

The Beaumont Independent School District issued a statement saying that Hastings was immediately removed from the classroom and placed on paid administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation.