Brockton High School staff member hurt while breaking up fight between students
BROCKTON – A staff member at Brockton High School was hurt Monday while breaking up a fight between students.
The school has been the subject of public debate in recent weeks. Four school committee members asked for the Massachusetts National Guard to be brought in over safety concerns.
The latest violent incident happened Monday morning. A Brockton schools spokesperson said the staff member was evaluated by the nurse and sent home.
The district said the students who were involved will face discipline "in accordance with district policy and procedures." Brockton police are also investigating.
Some students say their sense of normalcy has been shaken. "I'm just trying to get through the school day and people are just in the way, distracting me, and doing stuff, and acting crazy," one student told WBZ on Monday.
Brockton's police chief says the department has received 800 calls for service from the school district this year, compared to roughly 1,100 the entire year before.
One solution may include the integration of two more clinical social workers into the high school. Brockton Neighborhood Health Center Deputy CEO Maria Celli says she has two ready to step in.
"The students have wonderful skills of their own and so do the families," Celli said. "This is really a way of helping these students to build on those existing wonderful skills and maximize that at a time where things feel chaotic for them."
Until then, some students say they are trying to focus on school, but the distractions are challenging. "It was ridiculous and this needs to stop," another student said.
Four school committee asked Gov. Maura Healey to use the Massachusetts National Guard to end "chaos" at the school. Healey declined but provided the city with a grant in order to audit current safety conditions.
