Massachusetts school requests National Guard to rein in ‘violent’ students: ‘Sex and drugs in classrooms’
Members of a Massachusetts high school committee sent a letter asking their mayor to deploy National Guard troops to rein in violent chaos on campus — ranging from daily brawls in the halls to frequent drug use and fornication in empty classrooms.
“Recent events at Brockton High School have prompted us to seek immediate assistance to prevent a potential tragedy,” four members of the Brockton School Committee wrote in a February 15 letter.
“Over the past few months, our high school has experienced a disturbing increase in incidents related
to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse. The situation has reached a critical point, more recently we had an alarming 35 teachers absent, underscoring the severity of the challenges we are facing,” it continued.
Located about 20 miles south of downtown Boston, Brockton High School (BHS) is the largest in the state with an enrollment of about 4,300 students — and teachers have been complaining for months that the mass of students has descended into an unruly mob that roves the halls during class time, comes and goes from school grounds as it pleases, and engages in vicious brawls daily.
“They’re having sex and doing drugs and cutting class in empty classrooms,” said BHS teacher Eleri Merrikin during an emergency committee meeting in early February where several teachers and administrators shared their experiences and fears about the crisis at BHS, the Enterprise reported.
“We are in chaos, we need help,” said school secretary Cheri Mazzoli, who recounted being trampled by a mob of students racing down a hallway to catch a glimpse of a fight.
“The crowd came down the hall so quickly that I got swept up, not by the students fighting, but by the students that were rushing to watch and video the fight,” she said.
Just a week before the meeting, a student was sent to the hospital by ambulance after a fight.
“That was a brutal assault,” said School Committee Chair and Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan.
Back in May, two students were stabbed during a brawl on a school playing field, with one of the injured having to be airlifted to a hospital, according to the Enterprise.
“Unfortunately, staff now feels it’s only a matter of time before someone dies in our hallway,” Mazzoli said at the meeting.
But faculty fears extend beyond their students — many expect it’s only a matter of time before they are pulled into the line of fire, and some already have been.
“This year, it’s not a matter of if. I feel like it’s a matter of when,” math teacher Julie Fairfield said, explaining that in 21 years, she never felt afraid in her classroom, but that she now fears being attacked by her own students.
Another BHS math teacher, Cliff Canavan, had his arm broken in December when he was attacked while trying to restrain somebody who was kicking an unconscious student in the head.
“My focus was on those kids’ safety,” Canavan said. “Where’s the focus on ours?”
The problem has become so desperate for teachers that many have taken to calling in sick due to fears of being attacked at school.
“It just breaks my heart. I don’t even know who to call anymore. I don’t know who to contact. There seems to be no structure,” Fairfield said.
Sullivan sent the request on Saturday to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey — who is authorized to deploy the National Guard — but noted that he did not support the measure.
Healey’s office did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.
