Churchill Fight Caught On Tape
A fight in the school's main gym was caught on tape by students with mobile phones and posted on YouTube before being removed for violating the site's terms of service.
Photos
A fight involving at least four Winston Churchill High School girls earlier this week was caught on camera by students wielding mobile phones in the main gym and posted on YouTube.
Originally posted Tuesday, Feb. 21, the video was deleted from YouTube at approximately 12:15 p.m. on Feb. 23. A note on the web page where the video used to be reads, "This video has been removed because its content violated YouTube's Terms of Service."
In the video, two female students engage each other as students surround them to watch and multiple students were visible filming the incident. Moments later, two additional girls began throwing punches and adults subsequently stepped in to separate the girls.
Calls to Churchill's administration were not immediately returned, but an alumnus of the Potomac school weighed in on the video's comments section.
"I am now ashamed to say I went to Churchill," wrote Browneyedhuni22.
According to Churchill's 2011-12 Student and Parent Handbook, there are three qualifications for fights involving students with various minimum and maximum punishments. They include:
- Instigating -- Defined as pushing, shoving and verbal prelude to a fight and carries a minimum punishment of a parent conference and detention with a maximum 10 day suspension.
- Physical Attack on a Student -- Defined as a non-violent attack and carries a minimum punishment of a conference and in-school suspension with a maximum of recommendation for expulsion.
- Violent physical attack on a student or staff member -- defined as violent in nature and carries an MCPS Board of Education required punishment of police referral and recommendation for expulsion.
It is unclear which policy the incident will fall under.
What are your views on fighting in school? How should the students be punished and should there be any repercussions for the students who filmed the incident? Tell us in the comments.
Rockville Resident
9:45 am on Saturday, February 25, 2012
Is this article serious? Fights happen in high schools all the time! Maybe not at the "W" schools but everywhere else in the county. I'd say potomac patch may need a reality check.
tony hausner
7:09 am on Sunday, February 26, 2012
how was there a violation of youtube policy? what has been done re fighting at the school since the incident.
Maria Fusco
9:17 am on Sunday, February 26, 2012
As a parent of High School children, I appreciate this article; so often we get so busy that we don't always hear about things happening in their days. I hadn't heard about this and my kids are all in Churchill. I'm glad to have been informed.
My daughter has friends over, and they were surprised to hear that this was in the Patch, asking: "How did you know about it?" So, we all just sat, read the article and I was filled in more. (And of course, perhaps to their chagrin, they got a little of "what should be done during such instances," and policy information/similar.)
I thank Patch and reporter Greg Cohen for letting me know that this was going on ~ and I believe other parents, any parent, from any/all schools &/or those living close to the schools, would appreciate hearing about these types of things going on where their children are spending their days &/or in their neighborhoods. Thank You.