There’s no denying that Epic Games‘ Fortnite Battle Royale has become a global powerhouse, with people of all ages dropping down onto the island to claim a Victory Royale. Young children have especially been drawn to the game since its release, which has landed one Brooklyn, New York teacher out of a job.
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It has been reported by the New York Post that 29-year-old Brett Belsky, a gym teacher at MS 890, was fired after playing roughly 20 minutes of Fortnite with two students, ages 11 and 12. This was after Belsky had overheard some of his students discussing Fortnite and, in an attempt to reach them, offered to play with them if they performed better in class.
“As a teacher, you reach out the best you can,” Belsky said. “These kids talk about video games. I said, ‘If you can get this work done, maybe I’ll play against you.’” Belsky added that he told the students they must get consent from their parents prior to playing Fortnite with him.
However, after Belsky held up his end of the bargain in March 2018, the 11-year-old student told his dad, who then went to the school’s principal with that information the very next day.
In April 2018, Belsky was “reassigned to a DOE rubber room” before ultimately being let go in the fall. A spokesman for the Department of Education spoke with the New York Post, saying: “School employees shouldn’t interact with students online except for school-related reasons. Mr. Belsky was terminated based on his overall performance, including a review of this case.”
Belsky did admit that he “should have spoken with higher-ups” before offering students the reward of playing Fortnite with him in exchange for performing well in class. He stated that he will be appealing the termination during a hearing later this month.
What do you think about all of this? Should teachers be offering to play Fortnite with their students? Do you believe Belsky should have found another way to reach his students? Sound off in the comment section below, or hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7!
