In early February, 29-year-old gym teacher Brett Belsky of Brooklyn, New York’s Middle School 890 was fired after playing Fortnite with two students. Belsky agreed to play the popular battle royale game with the two students, 11 and 12, if they improved their performance in his class. When they lived up to their end of the bargain, he did as well.

He reportedly requested the two students to get permission from their parents first, but it seems one student did not tell his father about the game until after the fact. This led to the father reporting it to the principal, which in turn led to an investigation by the Department of Education. The DOE ultimately concluded that Belsky playing Fortnite with students was inappropriate internet conduct, also releasing the following statement: "Mr. Belsky was terminated based on his overall performance, including a review of this case."

Belsky's lawsuit states the department "looked to build a false narrative about Mr. Belsky's conduct" and claims the DOE fired him unfairly without proper justification. Despite the DOE's statement about his overall performance, Belsky has reportedly not been written up once during his eight years as an educator, though he claims to have been "tarred" with three disciplinary letters, all unrelated to this particular Fortnite case.

Furthermore, Belsky points out that the DOE couldn't categorize his alleged misconduct because such guidelines do not exist. Belsky is requesting a renewal of his teaching license, erasure of the allegations on his records, his job back, back pay, and payment for his attorney as part of his lawsuit. At the time of this writing, this Fortnite case is still ongoing, with Belsky's lawyer, Bryan D. Glass, refusing to give an official comment on his client's behalf to the New York Post.

brett belsky

At the end of the day, it seems that this case will be looked at closely. It makes sense to use such a powerful influence like Fortnite to encourage better performance in class, and without proper guidelines for the teacher to follow, it seems like this is less a case of ill-intent and one of miscommunication. That said, it can also arguably cross lines that a teacher shouldn't, so it'll be interesting to see what comes of this case.

Fortnite is out now in early access for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Source: New York Post