Teacher Charged with Disturbing Behavior in Classroom
An indictment has surfaced accusing a fifth-grade teacher of inappropriate conduct with young girls at an elementary school in Las Vegas. Ca Nam Nguyen, 51, allegedly engaged in unsettling games to encourage students to sit on his lap, while making comments like “gold diggers” and brandishing a knife in class.
Following several complaints from students at Wing and Lily Phuong Elementary School, Nguyen has been charged with multiple counts related to abuse. In court documents, he defended his actions as simply “acting weird.” It’s a curious justification, considering the gravity of the allegations.
Previously teaching third graders, Nguyen reportedly displayed favoritism towards younger girls and made inappropriate remarks about their bodies, which has understandably raised alarms among parents and staff.
Shocking details include a so-called “teddy bear” game where he would fake cry to get students to hug him. One student recounted being made to sit on his lap, while documentation states he even held a girl by the waist to stop her from getting away.
In a particularly alarming game called “knife tag,” he would chase children with a large knife in the dark, warning them that they “better start running.” Accounts from students suggest they pretended to be stabbed, with Nguyen mimicking stabbing motions towards them, which is quite disturbing.
One incident left a student frightened when Nguyen overturned their desk and threw a book at them, prompting her to say, “I was often scared.” Such unpredictable outbursts can certainly make a classroom atmosphere tense.
Adding to the bizarre nature of his behavior, Nguyen allegedly called the girls “gold diggers” and threatened to cut their hair if he discovered they were dating. This mix of intimidation and inappropriate comments, well, it’s hard to fathom how he believed this would create a positive classroom environment.
Nguyen was arrested on March 10 with seven counts of child abuse or neglect and seven counts of unlawful contact with minors filed against him. A fellow teacher reported feeling uncomfortable around him after he gave her unwanted gifts and made unsettling comments.
While speaking to investigators, Nguyen admitted to engaging in some of these behaviors for years. He tried to rationalize it by claiming they were intended to entertain the students—an explanation that’s hard to accept given the circumstances.
He even seemed to acknowledge that some of his actions were strange. After being employed by Nevada’s Clark County School District since January 2007, he has since posted a $15,000 bail. However, he has been ordered to stay away from the school, avoid contact with minors, and will face moderate electronic monitoring moving forward.
