A massive fight involving around 30 female students broke out inside a Pittsburgh prep school Feb. 29, causing the school to go into lockdown as police responded.
The brawl pushed community leaders and parents to criticize the school board for underfunding and to call for changes at the school, according to wpxi.com.
“There is always blame cast upon bad students, bad homes, bad families. But the issue is it’s a bad system, and unless you address the system, it doesn’t matter who you bring in here, there’s going to be failure,” Reverend Victor Grisby said about the school, which has had trouble with violence and drugs in the past.
Disagreements began around 10 a.m. Monday at University Prep High School between students from Pittsburgh’s Garfield and Hill District neighborhoods.
“I was in the corner, and they started hitting me, so my friends came in,” one ninth-grader said. “This is a school where you gotta fight, you just gotta fight.”
The school, which teaches grades six through 12, went into lockdown as various staff members attempted to break up the fight. Pittsburgh police eventually arrested 30 students and sent many others home before the school resumed classes. Many teachers were upset that the school day continued.
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A school police officer, security officer and several teachers were examined by doctors following attempts to stop the fighting. Many students and staff members sustained minor injuries and ambulances were seen outside the school for hours after the fight.
As news of the brawling spread, crowds of parents surrounded the school waiting for the lockdown to be lifted so they could pick up their children.
“I was locked in a basement office because there was so much chaos,” an unidentified parent told wpxi. “They had Pittsburgh police in riot gear, and this is supposed to be an educational facility.”
School police are reviewing the school’s surveillance cameras and working with city police to identify the people involved in the fighting. City police expect to announce charges as their investigation continues.
A spokeswoman told reporters the school has just hired a fourth security officer, allowing officers to monitor each floor of the building. Pittsburgh police officers also come to the school as needed. Additional police were on campus March 1 as classes resumed as normal.
