Battle of the "sixes" ensues after fight video surfaces
BY RONAHN CLARKE
A physical altercation between students that occurred before school on Jan. 19 has put the TV news station, WCSH-6, at great odds with Bonny Eagle High School. While the district has maintained that BEHS is a safe, secure, and well-regulated environment for the students, the WCSH-6 report suggested otherwise and has attempted to cast doubt on the school’s claims by asking its viewers and Facebook followers to offer their opinions.
The Tuesday morning fight occurred in the hallway next to the cafeteria, an area that is often teeming with students who sit or stand against the walls and make it difficult for passersby to get through. The fight was between two freshmen girls, and lasted for approximately 30 seconds without teacher or student intervention. There were no adults depicted in the recording, but, according to Superintendent of Schools Frank Sherburne, there were teachers standing at the end of the hall who got involved once they became alerted.
The incident was brought to the attention of WCSH6 after a cell phone video of it, posted by a concerned parent, surfaced online. The TV station showed the video, along with a report titled: “Video of fight raises concern from parents.” Only two parents were interviewed in the report, one of whom dismissed the incident as something that happens in all schools from time to time. Sherburne claims that there had been no fights at BEHS for more than a year before this incident. He said the student who recorded the incident acted irresponsibly in doing so, as the fight could have been handled effectively by the district alone without media intervention. Sherburne says the negative attention by WCSH6 only serves to unfairly damage the school’s reputation, with increased emphasis having been placed on the erroneous assumption that no adults were present.
While teachers had to resist the urge to comment on WCSH6’s Facebook post, students issued a strong response. Some wrote letters to the editor.
“It is very hard for the teachers to see everything that happens,” said Jenna Litif. “ If there was a teacher in the hallway where the fight happened, the fight would have been in a different location. The hallway where the fight happened gets very crowded in the morning and people were surrounding the fight so teachers could not see.”
“Teachers are at our school to teach, not to babysit,” said Kaley Rumery in a letter to WCSH6. “I can tell you that Bonny Eagle is a safe community and our staff cares so much about us, and would never want us feeling unsafe.”
“I am proud to be a Bonny Eagle Scot, and we will not be torn down and have our reputation tarnished even further by the sensational, irresponsible journalism of WCSH6. It saddens me that a large number of [these] adults seemed focused on tearing down and demeaning one of the cornerstones of a democracy: public education,” said junior Trevor Hustus.
The Tuesday morning fight occurred in the hallway next to the cafeteria, an area that is often teeming with students who sit or stand against the walls and make it difficult for passersby to get through. The fight was between two freshmen girls, and lasted for approximately 30 seconds without teacher or student intervention. There were no adults depicted in the recording, but, according to Superintendent of Schools Frank Sherburne, there were teachers standing at the end of the hall who got involved once they became alerted.
The incident was brought to the attention of WCSH6 after a cell phone video of it, posted by a concerned parent, surfaced online. The TV station showed the video, along with a report titled: “Video of fight raises concern from parents.” Only two parents were interviewed in the report, one of whom dismissed the incident as something that happens in all schools from time to time. Sherburne claims that there had been no fights at BEHS for more than a year before this incident. He said the student who recorded the incident acted irresponsibly in doing so, as the fight could have been handled effectively by the district alone without media intervention. Sherburne says the negative attention by WCSH6 only serves to unfairly damage the school’s reputation, with increased emphasis having been placed on the erroneous assumption that no adults were present.
While teachers had to resist the urge to comment on WCSH6’s Facebook post, students issued a strong response. Some wrote letters to the editor.
“It is very hard for the teachers to see everything that happens,” said Jenna Litif. “ If there was a teacher in the hallway where the fight happened, the fight would have been in a different location. The hallway where the fight happened gets very crowded in the morning and people were surrounding the fight so teachers could not see.”
“Teachers are at our school to teach, not to babysit,” said Kaley Rumery in a letter to WCSH6. “I can tell you that Bonny Eagle is a safe community and our staff cares so much about us, and would never want us feeling unsafe.”
“I am proud to be a Bonny Eagle Scot, and we will not be torn down and have our reputation tarnished even further by the sensational, irresponsible journalism of WCSH6. It saddens me that a large number of [these] adults seemed focused on tearing down and demeaning one of the cornerstones of a democracy: public education,” said junior Trevor Hustus.