Parents concerned after brawl inside Friendly High School
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. - Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) has been tight-lipped about a full-on brawl that took place inside Friendly High School last month.
A parent, who says they were never notified of the incident by the school, sent a video of the fight to FOX 5 saying they are concerned. The parent says they found out when they were checking their child’s phone.
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The video shows a melee between two girls all while students watch and record video on their cellphones. There's no staff, security, or school resource officer in sight.
Prince George's County Public Schools says the incident took place on February 10th when a female student pepper-sprayed another female student leading to the fight.
The school district says five other females joined the fight.
A mother whose child is supposed to attend Friendly High School next year says more must be done to keep students safe. She wanted to remain anonymous.
"Will he be safe? Am I going to get that call one day that a fight breaks out in the hallway that he's trying to get around it, and he gets pushed into it? Am I going to get that call that your child is at MedStar [Health] fighting for his life?" the concerned parent pondered.
While Prince George’s County Public Schools reduced security officers in its schools and replaced them with mental health counselors, the school district did keep its school resource officers.
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PGCPS did not respond when we asked where were the school resource officers while this fight was taking place. The scuffle lasted more than a minute before any staff member showed up.
"All involved students were disciplined as outlined in the PGCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook in line with PGCPS policies." the school district said.
Friendly High School did host a peace week, one week after the fight. Still, some have argued, now more than ever, mental health services are needed for students after spending more than a year isolated in distance learning.