Revere teachers at odds with district after fights at high school
REVERE - Revere High School is stuck in a fight over a fight. The conflict stems from two brawls at Revere High School last week. One fight left two staff members injured, and the other was caught on camera spilling out into nearby Beach Street.
"We are still researching video identifying people that may or may not have been involved and identifying witnesses," said Revere Police Chief David Callahan at a school district meeting. "As of yesterday, we were still conducting interviews and that is ongoing today. There are numerous people who will be taken to court on various charges."
18 students identified from fights
In that meeting on Thursday, the district says 18 students have been identified between the two fights. They believe it may have started from a dispute that began last year. So far, none of the 18 students have returned to school here, and they won't until the situation has been resolved.
The incidents now have the teachers at odds with the district. The teacher's union claims they have been calling on the district to increase safety measures for months. It was the union who told WBZ that an administrator had been knocked out during one brawl. The district refuted the claims during Thursday's meeting.
"I want to start by clarifying some misinformation reported in the media which included statements that a staff member was knocked unconscious, and that people were taken to the hospital by ambulance. Neither are true," said Revere Superintendent Dianne Kelly.
The Revere teacher's union calls this semantics, saying the administrator may not have been taken to the hospital by an ambulance, but did go to the ER.
"I can't say they were quote, unquote unconscious, but I saw the video, and anyone who saw the video, saw the staff member, our administrator, was hit in the face, head knocked against a locker, and fell on the floor," said Michelle Ervin, Co-President of the Revere Teachers Association.
Union to meet with city council
On Monday, the union will take their concerns to the city council. They will be presenting their various steps for improvement, and much of it centers around a lack of staffing.
"We had two psychologists that had a caseload, they ended up quitting in the middle of the year because they had a caseload of 1,000 each," said Ervin.
The union was also upset that Thursday's meeting was at noon when some teachers and community members couldn't attend. At the meeting, the district presented possible corrective measures that include re-evaluating safety and security systems, implementing unannounced police dog sweeps, and outside intervention programs.
"Our goal is to fix the problem, so we don't have to suspend 18 children," said Ervin.