West Columbus High School fight lands 14 in trouble www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC April 29 2012 - 14 high school students in Columbus County are suspended and facing charges for a fight that happened at West Columbus High School in Cerro Gordo.
According to Jeffrey Greene, the principal at West Columbus, the fight took place Tuesday.
“I think this was based on a joint effort of facebook and maybe an incident that happened over the weekend,” said Greene. “Between people away from school. One thing led to another. I don’t think the students involved thought it would go this far. They made some bad choices.”
He says the fight happened in the school’s patio area after lunch.
According to an incident report, the school’s resource officer sprayed pepper spray in the air to break up the fight, and Greene said administrators were able to get things under control without calling in additional officers.
However, Greene added that days after the fight, extra officers were on campus to make sure things remained calm.
The resource officer charged 14 students with fighting, and Greene suspended them for 10 days.
“If some situations warrant to go beyond 10 days, yes, it will be a superintendent and school board matter,” he said.
He says the students involved belong to two large cliques, but maintains that it was not a gang fight.
“Most of them are involved in school activities,” said Greene. “They know they did something wrong. I want parents to know this is a safe school. We have an open school. They can stop by anytime. We’re a safe place, where students can learn.”
Sheriff’s deputies say the fight is still under investigation.
Greene says that depending on the outcome of that investigation, some suspensions could be shortened
Source:wect.com
