Classroom clash: Video captures fight between parent, student at San Juan High School
CITRUS HEIGHTS -- A student was attacked Monday morning at San Juan High School (SJHS) by a parent who entered her classroom without permission, district leaders confirm.
The 17-year-old victim, a junior at the school, told CBS13 that Monday's fight at SJHS followed a prior physical altercation between herself and the woman's daughter on Friday; this fight happened off of school campus and was described by the victim as "mutual."
Video obtained by CBS13 Tuesday shows the moment that child's parent took matters into her own hands, and into the school Monday. The victim claims it was in retaliation for Friday's fight.
"This is where her mom has me, she's holding me down," said the victim, showing CBS13 the video of the classroom clash.
"Go get help," the teacher can be heard calling out, standing over the fight as it is happening.
The junior student says the bell had just rung in her first period when she saw the woman come into her classroom and proceed to chase her, pinning her to the ground.
"It just happened so quick," said the victim.
She and her friend asked CBS13 to conceal their identities. The victim's friend says she heard the woman in the hallway and tried to stop what happened next.
"So I went and warned the teacher and I was like, 'there is an adult here on campus... an adult that's not supposed to be here,'" said the victim's friend.
The student sustained minor injuries after the fight, including bruising to her legs and face. She says the brawl lasted 2 to 3 minutes and was not broken up by any school administrators, but rather it "ended naturally."
The victim says the student seen throwing punches in the video is the woman's daughter.
"The mom shoved chairs at me and grabbed me, she pulled my hair and kept hitting me in the head," said the victim.
"I hopped on top of my friend to cover her body so she wasn't getting body shots," said the friend.
The victim's mom called CBS13 Tuesday, asking for answers.
"It should have never happened," said the mother, who also asked that her identity be concealed.
Her question - how was this woman able to get on campus?
"The woman should not have been able to even get to the classroom. They need more security, more fencing, more campus monitors," said the mom.
CBS13 took that question to the San Juan Unified School District. Leaders say the mom slipped onto campus at school-drop off in the morning, right as all students were arriving for the day.
So we asked, does security need to be improved?
The district admitted, yes.
A statement provided to CBS13 reads the district is, "...Working to reduce the number of access points. The board of education has allocated $10 million toward improving physical safety on our campuses and we are working to invest that funding to upgrade these key areas at schools."
But for the mom of the teenage victim, it's too little too late; she's calling for change and plans to hire an attorney to take legal action.
"They're not keeping the kids safe. It could have been far worse," said the mom.
CBS13 also asked if the teacher in the classroom at the time of the fight, who does not physically intervene, acted within protocol. The district responded:
"The teacher in the room acted appropriately given the circumstances. The teacher's primary responsibility was to obtain the assistance needed to intervene and protect the student. In this instance, the teacher directed students to go get help while the teacher remained in the room. The teacher was verbally trying to stop the parent and additional staff quickly arrived. The incident was de-escalated within a few minutes, and law enforcement also responded. The determination to physically intervene is based on several factors including - the significance of violence occurring, the ability to intervene and overcome the aggressor safely or without causing additional harm, the duty to protect others from harm, and many other factors."
San Juan USD would not confirm to CBS13 what disciplinary action the students involved are facing or if the mother has been banned from campus, citing student and parent privacy laws.
The district filed a police report with the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD), which responded to the scene Monday morning.
CHPD would not detail any information on what charges those involved in the fight are facing, telling CBS13 that is not yet finalized.
