HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Ten students have been arrested from a Hillsborough County Public School after a fight broke out on school property.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said they have increased law enforcement presence for Thursday and Friday.
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Videos have been posted to a public social media account showing multiple fights.
Another page was posted on Instagram, before being deleted with other fight videos.
ABC Action News reached out to the school district about the fights, and we’re told "that out of the 3,300 students at the school, ten made a bad choice."
A spokesperson for the district said, this is not violence inside the school, but said certain students are bringing problems from outside of the school into it.
“These are not Lennard High School issues,” ABC Action News was told.
Last week, there was a fight on Friday, followed by two fights this week.
One parent concerned about their child’s safety said they want more done, “the school district does not seem to realize this is serious.”
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ABC Action News looked into discipline data from the state and found that in the most recent data at Lennard High School there were 48 fights in the 2017-2018 school year — with two reported to law enforcement.
However, out of all the incidents the state tracks inside the school — from bullying, alcohol, to threats and or intimidation, fighting had the most.
In that 2017-2018 school year there were 446 suspensions — however, it does not break down for what incident.
The school district can not comment on the disciplinary actions they are taking against the students, but a spokesperson released this statement:
There are more than 3,300 students at Lennard and the vast majority of the students make good choices and come to school every day to learn. The fights involved 10 students who chose to make a bad decision. We are dealing with discipline for each of them. This should not reflect on Lennard High School overall and the great work that is happening there every day. We do not tolerate fights on campus. Student safety is our top priority and we will always work to ensure a safe learning environment.
