Board members at a Massachusetts school have called for the National Guard to be hired to deal with unruly students “causing chaos.”
Concerns have been raised about violence and safety at Brockton High School, with 11 students arrested and criminally charged last week after a fight at the school.
Committee members Joyce Asack, Tony Rodrigues, Claudio Gomes and Ana Oliver requested immediate assistance last week “to prevent a possible tragedy.”
Their letter said: ‘Over the past few months, our high school has experienced a concerning increase in incidents involving violence, safety issues and substance abuse.
“The situation has reached a critical point; most recently we had an alarming absence of 35 teachers, which underlines the seriousness of the challenges we face.”
Concerns have been raised about violence and safety at Brockton High School, with 11 students arrested and criminally charged just last week.
The letter added: “We formally request that you contact Governor Healey and request the deployment of the National Guard to help restore order, ensure the safety of all persons on school grounds, and implement measures to address the root causes of the problems we face.”
Cell phone footage obtained by NBC Boston shows students fighting in a stairwell at the school.
Another video seen by Boston 25 It shows two individuals fighting inside what appears to be a classroom.
The two students lunge around the circle, exchanging kicks and punches as a crowd gathers to watch the violence unfold.
Several individuals can be seen punching and attacking each other during the melee.
Earlier this month, teachers expressed their concerns during an emergency committee meeting and shared their experiences.
The company reported that teacher Eleri Merrikin said at the meeting that: “They are having sex, doing drugs and skipping classes in empty classrooms.”
While Julie Fairfield added: “I don’t even like leaving my classroom anymore, I usually wait until after school to go to the bathroom.”
While secretary Cheri Mazzoli recounted being trampled by a mob of students who were running down a hallway to see a fight that had broken out.
Mazzoli said: ‘We are in chaos, we need help. The crowd came down the hall so quickly that I got carried away, not by the students fighting, but by the students rushing to watch and record the fight.’
Another video seen by Boston 25 shows two individuals fighting inside what appears to be a classroom.
The two students lunge around the circle, exchanging kicks and punches as a crowd gathers to watch the violence unfold.
Committee members Joyce Asack, Tony Rodrigues, Claudio Gomes and Ana Oliver, seen here, requested immediate assistance last week “to prevent a possible tragedy.”
The school is the largest secondary school in the state with an enrollment of around 4,300 students.
In May last year, two students were stabbed during a fight that broke out outside the school.
Following the altercation, five people were rushed to the hospital and another victim was stabbed inside the hospital.
Five people were arrested in connection with the stabbings at the high school and hospital.
During a news conference Monday, committee member Rodrigues said, “We need to take back control of our schools and make sure our students have a safe learning environment because what is happening in high school is discouraging and children They are wasting precious learning time and the children are causing chaos.’
Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan opposes the proposal, saying, “We need to give our administrators the tools to maintain order in school, including modifying certain state rules and regulations that currently hinder these efforts.”
‘National Guard soldiers are not the answer. School police have been working effectively and safely at the school for decades.’
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement Sunday saying she is “committed to ensuring schools are safe and nurturing environments.”
Healey added that he has been in contact with local officials about concerns at Brockton High School.