A fight between two students at a high school in Montgomery County, Maryland, ended quickly, according to the principal, but not before two staffers were knocked to the floor while trying to separate the students.
News of the fight at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School on Wednesday prompted Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando, who viewed a video of the incident, to issue a statement saying that “violence has no place in our schools or community.”
“As an MCPS parent, all families deserve to feel safe sending their children to school,” Jawando said.
Jawando commended the administration and staff for acting “swiftly” and said that as chair of the council’s education and culture committee, he would continue to work to ensure that “MCPS has the funding to provide comprehensive support, including security, mental health services and restorative justice programs” to keep students safe.
In a letter home to parents, the school’s principal Shelton Mooney explained the incident took place in the school’s main lobby during lunch on the first day of classes back after winter break. Mooney wrote that after the two staff members who tried to de-escalate the situation were knocked to the floor, they “sought appropriate medical treatment” but Mooney didn’t elaborate on any possible injuries.
“Upon completion of the investigation regarding the incident, the students have received disciplinary consequences in accordance with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct,” Mooney wrote.
Mooney stated that fighting is “an infrequent event” at the school and that typically it doesn’t result in a “community letter” issued by a principal. But Mooney said, in this case, “the incident has been widely viewed on social media, shared on a parent-maintained listserv, and been discussed in a statement released by a local public official.”
He said that statistically speaking, fights are not more common during this school year compared to last. “We have had one more fight this year than by the same date last year.”
Because student discipline is subject to student privacy rights and laws, Mooney said “disciplinary outcomes are not publicly shared.”
“The staff, security team, and administration at B-CC remain committed to ensuring that it is a safe place for every student, every day,” he said.
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