Mom and daughters arrested after school brawl

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In the shadow of Tropicana Field is John Hopkins Middle School.

It's where five people were arrested Wednesday after a brawl that included the mother of two of the students.

St. Petersburg Police say it all started because of a Facebook dispute.

Shaton Sampson sent her 12-year-old daughter to school with a spray bottle filled with bathroom cleaner, pepper flakes, and hair spray.  It was protection in case the young girl was jumped.

According to the police report, Sampson also told her daughter to stab any attacker with a pencil.

School officials say it's not unusual for them to see parents behaving badly, just like their kids.

"A lot of the misbehavior that happens in schools, a lot of the misconduct originates at home," said Debbie Wolfe with the Pinellas County School system.

Sampson showed up at the school along with her older daughter who is 16 and met with the principal.
The situation then escalated when Sampson and her 16-year-old daughter were leaving the school, they got into it with a couple teenage girls. A police officer tried to break it up. But then according to police, that 16-year-old pushed the officer in the chest."

Sampson and her daughters were arrested as were two other teens.

"None of this behavior is condoned on Pinellas County School grounds. It is not providing for a safe environment where students can learn," said Wolfe.

This latest incident adds to what has been an ongoing problem with violence at John Hopkins. School officials say they want to partner with parents to come up with solutions.

"To get to the root of what's going on and to find out what the problems are and to get them fixed and then move on," said Wolfe.

School officials say they are still investigating and haven't yet decided on how the students arrested will be disciplined.