Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight told WTOP that there are two investigations following the fights that broke out after a football game between two Bethesda high schools.
One is being conducted by the school system, and the other by Montgomery County Police, who are following up on “multiple” calls for service after the Friday night game between Walter Johnson and Bethesda Chevy Chase high schools.
Police spokesperson Sheira Goff told WTOP that two people filed reports that they had been assaulted, and that there were also other reports of thefts and robberies near the Metro station following the game.
Tuesday, Goff said no arrests had been made and that police are continuing to work on identifying some of the young people who appeared in videos of the fights that were posted to social media.
McKnight told WTOP that the school system’s investigation will focus on whether students violated the system’s code of conduct.
“As different acts or students are identified, staff will determine what discipline is appropriate,” McKnight said. Disciplinary actions for violations of the student code of conduct can range from contacting parents to suspension and expulsion.
The incident after Friday night’s game isn’t the first time that students from both schools have engaged in physical altercations following a game. In 2021, the same two schools saw fights break out between student groups.
McKnight was asked about the previous altercation because, in the school system’s protocols for school events, history between schools is considered in whether restrictions to game attendance should be increased.
McKnight told WTOP that, “Before we get ready for any big football game, the team deeply examines if there’s a need for restrictions to occur. In evaluation, no, we didn’t feel that was the case because of a case that occurred in 2021.”
Going forward, McKnight said the school teams will continue to evaluate the potential for any disturbances at games or school events.
“If we find that something occurs and we need to go back and look at how we may need to be more restrictive, then of course, we do that,” she said. But, she added, “We can avoid that if we work together and set expectations for our children and hold them accountable collectively as a school system.”
In Friday’s case, the violence occurred off school grounds at nearby Bethesda Metro station. McKnight said that, while the incidents may have happened off school grounds, they are still of concern to the school system.
“If those are our students and they are displaying inappropriate behavior in the community, yes, that’s a concern to us,” she said.
Noting that at the elementary and middle school level, students are typically accompanied by parents at the end of a school day or a school event, high school students have more independence in whether they gather off campus on the way home from events.
In that case, McKnight said, “We need the help of our parents” and that she’s asking for parents to “really engage our students and have conversations with them about expected behavior.”
On Sunday night, the principals at both schools sent letters to their school communities about the return to classes Tuesday.
In his letter to parents and families in the Bethesda Chevy Chase school community, Principal Shelton Mooney wrote that “the events that occurred after our football game versus WJ were horrific and unacceptable” and that counselors would be available to students who have concerns about their own safety.
At Walter Johnson High School, Principal Jennifer Baker wrote “I know that what happened Friday was very scary for our students who were there, and disruptive to our community.”
She also told students that counselors and support staff would be available “for anyone who needs any support” during the day.
