MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County School Board members called on the community to come together and help put a stop to fights in school.
One member told WREG suspensions aren’t enough to stop the cycle of violence.
Cellphone videos shot on school property were part of the problem.
Kids were not trying to break up the fights, in fact, they were encouraging it.
Even making music videos out of it.
Shelby County School Board Member Stephanie Love explained, “They live for the likes on Facebook.”
School Board member Stephanie Love was very vocal about the problems in schools, especially violence.
“Kids come to school from the community,” Love explained. “The community has issues; the community has problems. Why would we think this wouldn’t be going on in the schools?”
She said whatever plan is in place now isn’t working, and it’s time for a change.
Fights like the ones at Central High Thursday lead to a few students being suspended.
One for a few weeks, the other a few months.
But Love said there needs to be another step, a learning element, which includes the family and the community.
“Having a mandatory parent meeting at the schools where we have the juvenile court, we have DCS, any organization that’s willing to help our children,”she said.
Stephanie Love said this intervention-style model would help get to the core issues.
She said these bullies are just crying out for help, but they aren’t doing it the right way because they mimic what they see in the neighborhood, and on TV.
“Our students are going to school and getting hurt. Our kids are going to school and hurting people. It’s not normal,” Love said.