The Manassas Park Police Department in Virginia has charged seven students for their roles in a purported “mob attack” at Manassas Park High School last week.
Parent Jessica Martinez told ABC-7 News on Thursday night that “teachers were crying, being trampled on, kids jumping over the second-floor balcony to get away from the fight” as the students assaulted each other and school employees on March 23 at the Northern Virginia school.
Videos of the brawl posted on social media confirm the events, which Ms. Martinez said prompted her daughter to stay home from school the next day.
In a March 24 email to parents, school officials said the incident started when staff members and a resource officer moved to break up an altercation between students in the hallway during a passing period.
“The safety and security of our students is of utmost importance, and we take situations like this very seriously,” reads the letter, which notes that students circulated videos of the brawl on social media.
In addition to police charges, the school said in a statement that it is taking unspecified disciplinary actions against the seven students for violations of its code of conduct.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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