MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Parents are uneasy after a high school fight landed one teenager in trouble with the law and others suspended from school.
It happened at Trezevant High School Tuesday afternoon.
Phyllis Fleming said she pulled her daughter out of Trezevant High School after hearing of one too many fights.
“Every other day it was a fight, and I’m like, ‘It’s too much going on,’ and I just took her out,” said Fleming.
Shelby County Schools said five students were suspended after the fight.
“It’s a sad thing, but most of these kids just don’t have anything to lose,” said Renisha McClain, whose son goes to Trezevant.
Memphis police said a 14-year-old student was arrested for hitting the principal in the face while the principal was trying to stop the altercation.
Police said the student hit him with his right forearm multiple times while trying to hit another student. He was issued a juvenile summons.
“That’s awful that kids don’t have the respect for grown-ups enough to just walk away,” said Fleming. “That’s all he had to do was walk away. I don’t approve of that at all.”
Parents and students told us today the fight started between girls and that it’s not the first one they’ve heard of. If you search “Trezevant fight” on YouTube, pages of videos show up.
The school district said this type of behavior is not tolerated in any of its schools.
“Every parent needs to know who their children are associating with because once they get with that crowd, it’s all over with because the parents really can’t tell them nothing,” said Fleming.
Parents also said to make sure you’re involved.
“I try to talk to them as often as possible and see what’s going, sometimes they may want to talk, sometimes not, but I just try to let them know, ‘It’s okay to be different,'” said McClain. “It’s OK to walk away and it’s OK to not be involved.”
