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Pasco County schools crack down on fights
Matthew McClellan reports.
HOLIDAY, Fla. - The Pasco County School District is out with a new video message from Superintendent Kurt Browning addressing a recent series of fights breaking out on campuses and, as the PCS Facebook account described it in the video's caption, "the consequences for students engaging in violent behavior in our schools."
"I'm here to talk to you about some very serious incidents that have occurred at Zephyrhills High School and Anclote High school," Browning began in the message released around 4 p.m. Thursday. "Last week at Zephyrhills, we had multiple fights that quickly escalated into brawls. One of them was serious enough to knock a school leader to the ground, potentially injuring them."
Fourteen students are now facing charges in the Zephyrhills brawls. Widely circulated videos showed a resource officer and staff members trying to break up the fight. At one point, the school principal could be seen on the floor amid the violence.
The week of September 18, Browning said, the same thing happened at Anclote High School.
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"Multiple fights, some with six or more students," Browning stated. "Most of the fights have been captured on camera and shared on social media. While that gives a certain amount of attention for this unacceptable behavior, know that consequences are serious and could impact your child's life permanently."
Cell phone image from a fight at at a Pasco County school.
Anclote High School went under a controlled campus status on Tuesday and stayed on an increased alert Wednesday and Thursday. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, an additional school resource officer will on campus for the duration of the week out of an abundance of caution.
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The superintendent went on to say the attacks, which he described as 'vicious,' did not reflect the positive achievements being reached at the schools in question.
"Our teachers and staff work very hard at all of our schools to ensure a good reputation within their communities, our county, and for the students who are there every day to achieve academic success," Browning said.
Cell phone image from a fight at at a Pasco County school.
Browning, who has stated publicly that he does not plan to seek reelection in 2024, ended the message by saying that students engaging in violent behavior in Pasco County schools would not be tolerated.
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"Not only could it lead to possible permanent expulsion for students involved, but in many of the cases at each school, we are seeing students now facing criminal charges."
The superintendent urged parents to have conversations with their children regarding violence on campus.
Cell phone image from a fight at at a Pasco County school.
"There will be no second chances," he said.
This is not the first time in recent years that Browning has had to address the issue of school violence in his district.
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In March 2022, he again announced strict measures to curb fighting in Pasco County schools.
Cell phone image from a fight at at a Pasco County school.
In early August, the district updated its policy on students using cellphones. High school students now must put their phones in silent mode and out of view during the entire day except during lunch and between class.
The district has said the move is partly an effort to reduce the frequency of fights breaking out in hopes of going viral in online videos.