Massachusetts administrator hurt in fight at school, teachers' union calls for safety improvements
REVERE - An administrator at Revere High School is recovering after she was struck during a fight and teachers are calling for safety to improve at district schools.
Administrator knocked out during fight
It happened at the high school Thursday, on the third day of classes. Superintendent Dianne Kelly said several students got into a "physical altercation" before lunch. When the administrator tried to intervene, she was struck in the face. The teachers' union said she was knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital by ambulance. Kelly said the administrator is now recovering at home and feeling fine.
According to the Revere Teachers Association, another fight took place after school on Beach Street near the high school. In one social media video, they said a gun was visible.
Kelly said the school identified about a dozen students involved in the brawl and they will face disciplinary action, which could include suspension or expulsion.
"We have zero tolerance for violence in our schools and are coordinating closely with our teams at Revere High School and Revere Police to ensure all parties involved are held accountable," said Kelly in a statement.
Teachers call for improvements to safety
Michelle Ervin and Jane Chapin are co-presidents of the Revere Teachers Association. They have been sounding the alarm for years, begging the school district to react to what they call a safety crisis.
"The crazy part about it was I didn't even realize that a fight had happened," said Ervin who teaches at the high school.
She says incidents like this have become common, even normalized. "We did have a fight on the first day of school," Ervin said. "Fights are pretty normal, not quite at that grand of a scale."
They have three separate proposals for the district, much of it dealing with staffing issues.
"We are asking for more guidance counselors and social workers," Chapin said. "We are asking for a health and safety team to be formed."
In addition to the teachers, three school resource officers had to get involved. "It's the natural reaction," Chapin said. "You see the fight happening and immediately you leap into action to keep the students safe."
"Ignoring a crisis"
In a statement, the Revere Teachers Association said the school committee is dismissing their concerns.
"Rather than addressing the safety crisis happening in our schools, the Revere School Committee has doubled down in misrepresenting what is happening in our schools and consistently dismissing our school safety concerns. The Revere School Committee has abdicated its responsibilities to care for the well-being of Revere students and educators. They're ignoring a crisis," said the union in a statement.
On September 9, the union will be meeting with the Revere City Council to propose changes and next steps. They hope their warnings and petitions are heard.