WASHINGTON - Ten students are facing charges in juvenile court after several fights broke out at H.D. Woodson High School. Police say all of the students who were taken into custody are females, including one teenager accused of punching a cop.
Three police reports describe a variety of what officers described as rowdy behavior as they moved the students toward the cafeteria.
In one report, police say officers were dispatched to the high school for a school fight. D.C. police officers began to clear the hallways and move the students into the cafeteria. During that time, the students began to get more rowdy and officers had to detain several students. One of the females got out of the officer's grip, made a closed fist and hit the officer. The student was placed under arrest and transported to the Youth Division for processing.
In another police report, two girls squared off to fight and others jumped in. A third report described officers being called to the school to help and found several fights in progress. All of the violence took place after 1 p.m. Tuesday. None of the reports indicated anyone received any kind of first aid or transport to the hospital.
The fight between the students was recorded on a cell phone camera.
Mayor Muriel Bowser responded to the violence at H.D. Woodson and other D.C. schools saying, "We will take appropriate disciplinary steps for implicated students as well as look at structural changes, including mediation with involved parties so that incidents do not happen again."
D.C. Public Schools sent a statement to FOX 5 regarding the fights that occurred at the high school:
Yesterday, several students were involved in multiple fights at H.D. Woodson High School, behavior that is not acceptable at DC Public Schools. We are working to stem such behavior and to ensure that all students feel safe at our schools. We will take appropriate disciplinary steps for implicated students, as well as look at structural changes, including mediation with involved parties, so that incidents do not happen again.
Levels of disciplinary incidents and suspensions are down across D.C. Public Schools by nearly 25 percent compared to this time last year, yet we must remain vigilant against such fights occurring.
DCPS takes the security of our staff and students as a top priority. We are constantly monitoring our schools, working with other government agencies, and updating security protocols as needed. All of our high schools have school security officers, as well as designated entry-and-exit points and metal detectors.