A high school teacher in Maryland has been charged with physical child abuse and second-degree assault after she was recorded fighting with a 17-year-old student in class.

The altercation happened at the Largo High School in Largo, Maryland.

Cellphone video circulated on social media of the fight that began when the female student stepped on Vivian Noirie's foot and bumped into her.

Noirie, who is 36-year-old, immediately started punching the student and beating her.

Police say that the student was angry at the teacher because she had called the student's parents the night before the attack.

Other school employees separated the teacher and the student but the student then struck the teacher again.

A lawyer for Noirie said that that teacher had been assaulted by students three times during the current semester.

Prince George's County Education Association President Theresa Mitchell Dudley defended Noirie, saying that she had not received enough support from the school's administration.

"How you de-escalate a situation is very critical, what response comes from administration when you call the office and ask somebody to come up because a student is stalking you in your classroom, that's a whole other conversation that we need to have," she said to reporters.

In a statement later, Dudley also said it was "troubling" that the cellphone video had been posted on social media.

"There is an issue of a lack of respect for educators. Verbal and physical assaults on educators are too common. There is a sense that as an educator we should continue to keep taking abuse, threats, and assaults from students, parents, and administrators because we are the adults in the room," she added.

"Educators are human and need the same emotional and mental supports as students to ensure that situations are appropriately addressed. Support includes timely responses in two areas; assistance from the administration on root causes of behavior and implementation of necessary supports to address and improve students behavior," Dudley said.

Police are also considering charges against the juvenile female student.

Here's a local news video about the fight: