Parents say fights at Flowers High School wouldn't have happened if principal was there

SPRINGDALE, Md. - The union representing Prince George's County principals tells FOX 5 Charles H. Flowers Principal Dr. Gorman Brown has been reinstated after being placed on administrative leave for two months.

Many parents blamed the two months away as the reason why chaos broke out inside Flowers on Tuesday. 

A PGCPS Spokesperson confirmed 10 fights happened at the high school, telling FOX 5 that "several" students have been suspended and that other disciplinary actions may be pending.

The school system did not say how many students, when the fighting started, how long it lasted, or what the fights were over.

Several videos posted to social media under the account "flowerssrampage" show students punching and kicking one another in various spats, both inside and outside the high school.

"They’re fighting outside in the parking lot where the school buses are. Like where’s leadership? Where’s security? Where’s P.G. cops at?" said a parent who FOX 5 spoke with but asked to remain anonymous. That parent says she is disgusted by all the fighting.

The school system told FOX 5 they do not believe outside students were allowed inside Flowers by students, which is what multiple parents told FOX 5 happened. A PGCPS spokesperson also said they do not believe students were seriously injured. 

The matter is still under investigation. 

No decision has been made yet on whether to hold a school-wide meeting.

"All the videos have been absolutely ridiculous," said Flowers High School parent, Janese Cornish. "Children are fighting in the hallways, they’re fighting the streets of Flowers High School and it all in my opinion, stems from them not having Dr. Brown to prevent any of this because none of this happened until he was not at the school."

In part of a letter sent to the school community on Tuesday, Lead Administrator Diedra Smalls Screws wrote, "While we understand that conflicts may arise, we must emphasize the importance of resolving disputes through constructive means. We believe in fostering a positive and respectful school environment, and such behaviors will not be tolerated nor are they reflective of the values we aim to instill in our students…"

The school community was shocked to learn that Flowers's principal had been placed on administrative leave back in October. No reason was given as to why. 

He had previously been placed on leave in 2019 after a video surfaced showing him in an altercation with a student. Brown was cleared of the incident. His actions were found to be justified.

The Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel is the union that represents Prince George’s County principals. ASASP Executive Director Jeffrey Parker told FOX 5 Dr. Brown was placed on administrative leave due to an accusation that he did not report something he was supposed to.

The executive director was not at liberty to get into the details but explained that in a Dec. 12 hearing, the principal union argued Dr. Brown did report what he needed to.

Parker said the information came in after an investigation was over and that the comment was repetitive and included information that had already been included in the actual report. Therefore, Parker said Dr. Brown did not think there was any new information.

FOX 5 was told Dr. Brown was cleared to return as of Tuesday, Dec. 20. 

It’s not clear when Dr. Brown will actually return. The high school is closed Friday for the holiday break.

Several parents credit Dr. Brown with protecting students at the school.

The Prince George's County Public Schools superintendent told a parent their team was at Flowers High School on Wednesday, addressing security issues and have produced a plan to better deploy staff security throughout the school.